Eileen Ross, 52, from Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, won £142,857 in the Postcode Lottery but was convinced it was an elaborate prank by her brother Bob, 54.
Eileen and her partner George Duncan, 49, were stunned when their postcode AB39 2LH won the Millionaire Street prize. The couple initially thought the win was a wind-up by Bob or a nephew.
Eileen said: "I thought either my brother Bob or my nephew were pranking us. It would be a pretty elaborate prank, but they do go to some lengths. I'm going to tell him that I've won, but he won't have known that I thought he was pranking me. I will apologise to him."
Architect wins £142,857
Eileen, an architect, was on a building site when she learned of the win. She said: "This is mind blowing, life changing. I only ever write down numbers like that on bills. I can't get my head round it. If Bob comes round the corner, I'll be really annoyed."
George, a web designer, was equally stunned. He said: "This is awesome, it feels mental, absolutely bonkers. We got a phone call to say the Postcode Lottery would arrive around 11.30am, but when it got to noon and no-one had appeared we wrote it off. Then the doorbell rang."
Plans for the winnings
The couple, who are keen Latin and ballroom dancers, plan to use some of the money for George's upcoming 50th birthday celebrations. George said: "We've got a number of social circles. We'll bring them all together in the town hall. We'll hire a big band and invite everyone and put a free bar on."
A family holiday to Tenerife is already booked. George added: "There will be dancing in Tenerife. What a holiday this is going to be."
Despite the windfall, the couple's shopping list remains down-to-earth. They plan to get their BMW repaired after it failed an MOT and finally decorate their bedroom. Eileen joked: "I might get a new pair of slippers. We've lived here for 12 years, and we've never decorated the bedroom upstairs. It's still raw plaster. I kind of made a joke about when I win the Postcode Lottery, I'll be able to pay for it."
The couple also plan to treat friends and family this Christmas. Eileen said: "We're hosting Christmas this year, so it will be a bigger turkey and extra haggis bonbons. This street has such a good community spirit and it's really nice to be sharing this. It's super exciting if others have won. They're all good people who have stayed here for a long time."
