Lottery winner still works at Asda despite becoming millionaire
They've got lucky bones – so much so that they admit friends have asked them to pick their Lottery numbers.
But two couples who struck rich a year ago today insisted that, despite enjoying their riches, their wins haven't changed them a bit.
One, Amanda Lewis, is still at the supermarket where she worked before becoming a millionaire.
Mrs Lewis, 50, who lives in Yarlet Bank in-between Stafford and Stone, has kept her job at Wolverhampton's Jack Hayward Way Asda. And her 52-year-old husband Barry is still working as a tiler.
Mrs Lewis, originally from Wolverhampton before moving to Featherstone and then Yarlet Bank, jokes that she now has people asking to buy their scratchcards and give them numbers to get some good luck while Mr Lewis's friends rub their lottery tickets against him in their attempt to get some good luck.
Asked about why they both still work, Mr Lewis, who was born in Tipton, said: "You still need to work to earn money. I like working and that's the only way you get to meet people and socialise. It is nice to have a substantial amount of money as it makes you feel more secure, you have not got to worry about your bills.
"A lot of people will say 'I can't believe I have got a millionaire tiling my bathroom!'"
Mrs Lewis added: "I work on the desk or the kiosk and I have people saying 'I want to buy my scratchcard off that lady because she won the lottery', I even have colleagues do that as well.
"I knew it would get out and I just thought it would be better to go public. It also shows people that it is possible to win something."
The pair were speaking at the Moat House in Acton Trussell, near Stafford, the place where they met the media for the first time last year when becoming the UK's latest lottery winner. The customer services advisor bagged £1 million in the EuroMillions Millionaire Maker prize draw.
The couple were joined by a second married pair, Stuart and Denise Powell. Mr and Mrs Powell won the same £1m prize just six months before the Lewis's and astonishingly the couples only lived 200 yards apart in Featherstone, South Staffordshire.
Despite practically being neighbours, the couples had never met each other before being brought together by the National Lottery this week.
"We know people they know and it is the same the other way," Mr Powell, 51, said. "Featherstone is quite lucky, the people behind us won £100,000 and somebody in the same street won £500,000 in the Thunderball. Featherstone has had a few winners."
Mr Lewis added: "It's a chance in a million really that happening!"
Like the Lewis's, the Powell's have also stayed in their jobs - Mrs Powell at NR Evans in Aldridge and Mr Powell at Spray Tanker Services, based just outside Brinsford.
The two couples also have another thing in common - what they did with their money.
Both invested in property and treated their children and other family members.
Mrs Powell, aged 45, who has three sons Matthew, 28, Adam, 26, and Nathan, 22, said: "We bought the three children houses and we have bought two properties that we rent out as well. We said we would look after the boys so they did not have any mortgages so that is what we have done."
Mrs Lewis, who has 22-year-old twins Charlotte and Ryan, added: "We paid the mortgage off and purchased a couple of properties to rent out and bought a new home up in Staffordshire. We promised the kids cars if we ever won so we bought them a car each.
"We bought Barry's dad's property for him as well. He has always worked all his life and paid rent but he will not have to pay that anymore."
Asked about finding out they had won £1m from the lottery, Mr Powell said: "I was at work on a night shift, a big tarmac job in Birmingham. I was feeling pretty fed up and I called Denise about quarter past 11 and I just asked 'are we rich?'
"She said nobody has won the big prize or five with the bonus and the next prize was £15,000 then she just started going 'oh my gosh, oh my gosh' and said we had won the million pound prize. I think I nearly went through the roof of the lorry, I had to stay all through the night to finish the job as well.
"When I got in she was just standing there with the computer with the code on. It was just brilliant."
Meanwhile Mrs Lewis got so excited she had won she misread the ticket and thought it was 'only' £100,000.
"She did not realise she had won the million at first until I told her," Mr Lewis said. "It was a double shock because she thought it was £100,000 at first. I was out for a meal with my son and I was trying to work out what she was on about. When I realised I phoned her back, got her to explain what was what, and explained it was a million not £100,000."
