Mother celebrates £838k EuroMillions win – by tucking into a curry

Mother-of-two reveals she celebrated £838,000 EuroMillions jackpot win with a takeaway curry – after lucky 55-year-old was forced to hold down two jobs to make ends meet before scooping huge sum

• Sally-Ann Hanitzsch, 55, found out about her win while working at Morrisons 
• She celebrated by having her favourite curry and now hopes to buy a new home 

A mother-of-two who had been working two jobs to support her family celebrated scooping £838,000 on EuroMillions – by tucking into her favourite takeaway curry. 

Sally-Ann Hanitzsch, from Cambourne, had been working shifts at a Morrisons shop while holding down a full-time role as an assets officer at Cambridge City Council.

The 55-year-old matched all five main numbers plus a lucky star in the EuroMillions draw on December 2, but did not check her ticket until more than a month later. 

Now, after spending years in social housing, the hard working mother plans on using her £838,125.50 fortune to buy a new house – as well as helping her children Jack, 27, and Sophie, 22, get on the property ladder.

Describing the moment she found out about her windfall Sally-Ann said: ‘It was on a Saturday shift in January when I had a couple of minutes and thought I’d check my tickets. I rarely check them because I never think I’ll win but asked a colleague to scan and she said you need to call the National Lottery now and sign the ticket.

Overjoyed! Sally-Ann Hanitzsch, 55, discovered she had won the EuroMillions while working her part-time shift at Morrisons

The mother-of-two scooped £838,125.50 and celebrated her winnings by having her favourite takeaway curry 

‘I rarely check them because I never think I’ll win but asked a colleague to scan and she said you need to call the National Lottery now and sign the ticket.

‘I thought she was joking but I called during my break before returning for the rest of my nine-hour shift, knowing I was £838,000 richer.

‘Then all of a sudden lots of other staff members started to arrive at the kiosk asking about the win.

‘Word had got round that someone had won big… and it was me.’

She said when she called her son he thought she had ‘lost the plot’ and her daughter did not believe her either.

‘When I got home I was so tired I just went to bed,’ said Ms Hanitzsch.

‘But we did celebrate as a family the following night with a takeaway curry.’

In the lead up to Christmas, Ms Hanitzsch had been working 20 hours per week as a customer services assistant at Morrisons in Cambourne on top of her regular Monday to Friday nine-to-five.

Sally-Ann no plans on buying a new home  and helping her two children, Jack, 27, and Sophie, 22, get on the property ladder

‘I did have two jobs which was very tiring,’ she said. ‘The win means I’ll be able to have some of that time back and also help my family financially.

‘With the extra time I now have, I can plan to do the things I’ve always wanted to do.’

During the week of her win Ms Hanitzsch still worked her rota of five consecutive evening shifts before calling time on her role at Morrisons.

She said she will continue working at Cambridge City Council, adding: ‘I’m only 55, I love my job and my colleagues at the council.

‘When I told my supervisor she cried. That’s how much of a team we are.’

As well as buying a new home and helping her children get properties of their own, the mother-of-two also wants to go on a dream trip to Japan.  

She added: ‘I’m now debt free, I’m buying a home having lived in social housing for years. I’m going to help Jack and Sophie to get onto the property ladder, buy a new car, probably a new Ford Fiesta as I don’t need anything bigger, go on a few holidays and plan the big trip to Japan.

‘I just love Japan, the lights, the automated machines, the cartoons, sumo, the food.

‘I’ve never been and it has always been a dream I thought I’d never be able to fulfil.

‘The win means I can visit Tokyo, Hiroshima and do it all during the spring to see the beautiful blossoms.’

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