Lucky David nabs EuroMillions prize and early wedding

The 32-year-old, who proposed to Vanessa Dunn, 27, while on holiday in Thailand, says he’s still coming to terms with his good fortune. He said, “They say luck comes in threes – well it certainly has for me. I got a big ‘yes’ from Vanessa when I proposed to her just before Christmas and then I received a promotion at work!

“We had hoped to get married in 2026, but we will now be moving our wedding forward by a year. We can plan the most incredible honeymoon and renovate our home to transform it into our dream house.”

David, a project manager at Avove, a partner of Yorkshire Water, has already made a couple of purchases since his win. They include a reversible puffer jacket for the couple’s dog – Rodney the Bedlington Terrier – and a new pair of trainers for Vanessa, a water quality scientist.

David said, “Rodney is a big part of our lives and goes everywhere with us, so we felt we had to treat him first. It has been so cold of late so a reversible yellow-and-black zip jacket was definitely on the cards for him. And of course a new pair of trainers for Vanessa for all of those dog walks!

“We still cannot believe all of this has happened – we have to keep pinching ourselves – but this will certainly mean we can now live so much more comfortably.”

As well as an extra special honeymoon, the couple is planning a holiday later this year. David said, “We are still trying to decide where to go for our honeymoon – the world really is our oyster now and we have been looking at some very special trips to Canada.

“The win has also enabled us to splash out on another holiday and really spoil ourselves later this year, probably to South Africa and potentially on safari.”

David, who plays on the National Lottery app, has used the same numbers for several years, using birthdays as his lucky numbers. And it was only by chance that he checked to see if his numbers had come up.

“I was just scrolling through my phone, as you do, and noticed that someone had won the EuroMillions jackpot. So, I thought I would check my ticket on the off chance I may have matched a couple of numbers.

“I always joked with Vanessa about winning the National Lottery and I just couldn’t believe it as I was checking the numbers and my numbers were appearing – I had to keep checking, double-checking – and checking again!

“I turned to Vanessa and said, ‘I think we’ve won – and won several thousand pounds!’ She wouldn’t believe me. I even called my mum and dad to cross check for me too, and yes, I was a winner. I am actually still completely in shock, it is totally surreal.”

20th February 2024