Telling your nearest and dearest that you’ve hit the jackpot can trigger a whole spectrum of reactions. And for the fortunate lotto winners below, their families’ responses ranged from side-splitting to downright contentious.
Take James Clarkson, 20, who scooped a cool £7.5m on the National Lottery just this month. The tradesman shared the hilarious reaction his girlfriend had when he broke the news about his massive windfall.
Back to sleep
The avid Manchester City supporter said: “I was at my girlfriend’s house and got up early to check on the snowfall when I saw a message saying I’d won on the National Lottery app.
“I opened it straight away but couldn’t see anything to begin with; then I scrolled down and saw I’d matched all six main Lotto numbers to hit the jackpot and that my prize amount was £7,533,329! I just didn’t believe it! I thought I was dreaming!
What a morning to remember it was for James
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“It was only 7.30am so everyone was asleep. I woke up my girlfriend and showed her my ticket on the phone. She took a sleepy glance and said ‘no, you haven’t won’, turned over and went back to sleep! “
But there was no chance of shut-eye for an exhilarated James, who rang his dad before dialling the National Lottery Line at 9am to get the staggering news verified, reports Gloucestershire Live.
Despite her initial scepticism, James, hailing from Carlisle, revealed he’s since splashed out on a Gucci bag for his girlfriend with some of his prize money.
Taking a tumble
Christine Jane, from Launceston, Cornwall, was far from calm when she discovered that she and her husband, Nick, had won the National Lottery.
In 2022, Christine scooped a £1m prize, initially believing she had only won £100,000.
Christine Jane is now thankfully back on her feet
Recalling the moment, Christine said: “The lottery people said, ‘congratulations you’ve won a millions pounds’ and I fell off the bed.
“We couldn’t believe it, my husband couldn’t believe it when he came from work. We had to show him the ticket… still now we can’t believe it.”
After recovering from her dramatic fall, Christine purchased a “nice big lovely house” and several new cars.
Despite their newfound wealth, she insisted: “We’re still the same people, loving people, caring people, money hasn’t changed us whatsoever.”
Call an ambulance?
Dan Carter, a father-of-four from Bristol, didn’t win millions but his friends’ reaction to his £100,000 Lotto app win was priceless.
After a night out with neighbours last year, he played the £2.50 Monopoly Gold Instant Win Game on his phone while struggling to sleep.
The happy could could not stop screaming
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To his surprise, he won instantly and woke up his wife, Kayleigh, in excitement. Still in their pyjamas, they began screaming.
He said: “I kept looking and looking and then I started screaming ‘I have won! ‘ My wife Kayleigh then started screaming too, we just couldn’t believe it.”
His reaction was so alarming that his mates were convinced he might need urgent medical help. He said: “I couldn’t speak properly and our neighbours didn’t understand what was going on.
“At one point they said, ‘just call an ambulance if you aren’t well? ‘. Kayleigh had to grab the phone and explain what had happened.”
Sharing is caring
While friends and family often have a laugh at such reactions, one woman’s experience with her mum after winning the lottery was far from funny. The 34-year-old shared her story on Reddit, expressing her dismay at her mother’s immediate response.
The lotto winner has been accused of being slefish
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She recalled: “I was ecstatic. The first thing I did was call my mum. She was excited at first, but then like a minute later, she started saying, ‘So, are you going to share it with the family?’ Like, before I’d even processed the news myself.”
The winner, whose prize wasn’t in the “hundreds of millions” but still life-changing, also spoke of the lack of support she received from her family when dealing with her autistic son.
She continued: “My brother and sister have always kind of been distant. When I had my son (he needs a lot of support), it was pretty much just me on my own. They didn’t offer help, didn’t check in much, and it hurt, honestly.
“I love them, but I’ve had to go through so much alone. My mum, she was supportive in her way, but she was never really there in the ways I needed her.”
They often mention that money is the root of all evil, and for this mum, her lottery jackpot caused major family rifts.
Recounting the initial call with her own mother, she said: “She got really quiet, then goes, ‘Well, that’s really disappointing.’ That hit hard. Since then, my siblings have been calling me selfish and saying I’ve let ‘money go to my head,’ and even my mum has hinted that I’m being greedy.
“She actually told me that my son ‘needs a strong family around him’ and that I’m ruining that with my attitude.”