A MARRIED couple has revealed they discovered their £1 million jackpot lottery win from a message they were sent completely out of the blue.
Bill and Cath Mullarkey received the life changing news after returning to their Coventry home from a holiday in St Lucia.
The couple explained how it took a while for the win to sink in, believing it could be a mistake[/caption]
Bill and Cath first met on the island of St Lucia whilst frequently holidaying there[/caption]
The 2017 National Lottery win has since allowed them to build a home and restaurant on the Caribbean island.
Bill, 64, and Cath, 63, decided to pursue their dream after the shock draw.
Mr Mullarkey said: “We feel so blessed. It has changed our life and the lives of other people that we’ve helped as well.”
The couple played the National Lottery “many, many times” and dreamed of owning a restaurant on St Lucia, where they first met and holidayed frequently, after returning to the UK and working in corporate catering.
Returning from a trip in 2017, the couple were shocked to receive a message telling them that they had won £1 million in the National Lottery.
The couple added: “I thought it must be something like, ‘this could be you if you play tonight.
“[Instead it read] congratulations, you’re the proud winner of the EuroMillions, £1 million’ and that was it.
“It was life-changing, but it took time to sink in. Even for a day or two, it was surreal. I’m thinking maybe we’ll get a call back saying it’s a mistake, but no.
“When you see it’s all signed, sealed, delivered and then that’s reality when you see your bank account with zeros, wow.
“We always thought of having our own place and ideally open our own little restaurant. We never thought it would happen but we dreamed and then that was the priority, that and help family members.
“We had got to that age in life where we thought it’d never be possible or we would be fortunate enough to think, ‘where do we really want to settle down’, and for me, it was a no brainer.”
The couple had bought a plot of land a few minutes from the beach before winning the EuroMillions and, now they they were £1 million richer, they knew this was their chance.
They set to work building their house with mountain views, a swimming pool and a restaurant on the ground floor called Brigands Hideaway, which serves St Lucian food and opened last November.
They discovered their huge win after returning from a holiday back in 2017[/caption]
The couple have even opened a restaurant on the island to keep themselves busy[/caption]
“It’s doing quite well, and it’s nice working for ourselves, and Cath is very good with the local food, and it’s going down well with both locals and tourists,” Mr Mullarkey said.
“There is so much fresh produce here and we get on well with the local suppliers and farmers, and Cath’s brothers are fishermen so we get fresh fish.”
Mr Mullarkey admitted the couple do miss “beautiful” Coventry but that their lives have been changed for the better by winning the National Lottery.
“We were happy before, but we are even happier now, knowing that we have this. I’m grateful every day of my life and so is Cath, for the change that it’s managed to bring us.
“What we’re doing now is for ourselves and living our dream, doing our thing, which we dreamt of, but never thought would be possible, so it has changed our life for the better.”
From Coventry to the Caribbean island of St Lucia, the pair have found a new home since winning the jackpot[/caption]
Bill, 64, and Cath Mullarkey, 63, celebrated their National Lottery win which came as a complete shock to the couple[/caption]
How to enter the National Lottery?
SOME may find they are inspired to enter the lottery after hearing about the couple’s incredible win. Here’s how you can get involved
All you need to do is pick six numbers between one and 59. If you’re unsure you can always opt for a Lucky Dip which randomly selects your numbers.
You can play up to seven lines on each play slip and buy up to ten slips at one time.
Then you need to decide whether you want to play on Wednesday or Saturday.
If you’re undecided you could choose to play both and then all that’s left to choose if the number of weeks you’d like to play.
