A supermarket delivery driver could not believe his luck after a £3.8m lottery win, but he decided to return to complete a Christmas shift so he wouldn’t leave his colleagues in the lurch.
Devoted driver, Jonny Johnston, 45, came home from a Christmas night out with colleagues from Tesco when he received an email about his ticket on December 16.
He went to bed not giving it another thought, but in the morning, he checked the National Lottery app with his partner to realise he had a huge win and had become an overnight millionaire.
Jonny from County Fermanagh said: “I just kept staring at the numbers on my account. I thought maybe I had won £38,000 but then there were too many zeros.
“I passed the phone to Christina for her to check and she was in disbelief too. We both began to think that it was a trick, a scam even! We decided we had better call Camelot and double-check.
The week before, Jonny had matched two numbers in the lottery and won an additional Lucky Dip for a Lotto draw. It was the free Lucky Dip line that proved to be the winner.
Once the incredible win had been officially confirmed, the couple broke the news to their adult children and celebrated with cups of coffee.
Ticketholder, Jonny said: “The kids were silent at first, looking at both of us in disbelief. And then the screaming and shouting started and everyone was jumping around the kitchen, cheering!”
Even after learning of his win, the delivery driver had another shift to work at Tesco. He completed a ‘click and collect’ shift at his local store on December 23 in the run-up to Christmas so he could help out his colleagues.
He handed over bags of Christmas turkeys and all the trimmings, even though customers would not know he had become a millionaire.
Jonny and Christina, 46, plan to use their money to provide financial security to their children and indulge in a little leisure time.
The couple, along with their three children, two sons aged 23 and 19, and one daughter aged 20, have never been abroad together.
Jonny said: “I would love for us all to go to The Caribbean, maybe on a cruise as it sounds and looks incredible. We have never had a family holiday together. I just need to apply for my passport first!”
Commenting on their life-changing win, Jonny shared: “I’m still in disbelief. This is a dream come true for me and my family. I’ve always worked hard, and this win will allow us to do things we could only ever have dreamt of before. I am incredibly grateful and still trying to wrap my head around it all.”
