Striking it big: Morecambe couple’s jackpot success with Lucky Dip ticket

Lotto jackpot winners Denise Scarr and Robert Scarr from Morecambe

Denise never dreamed that 12 hours later, she and husband Robert would be multi-millionaires.

But that’s exactly what happened when the couple settled down to watch the BBC1 National Lottery show that evening.

By the end of the programme, the Scarrs were £6,311,254 richer, after matching all six numbers as the sole winners during a rollover week.

Describing the moment their lives changed forever, Denise, 56, said: “I wasn’t paying much attention, I was messing around on my lap top.

“Robert saw the first ball drop and shouted out - we’ve got one number.

“Then he said we’ve got four numbers, I started to pay attention and Robert just let out this almighty scream- we have won the jackpot!”

Robert, 59, said: “Denise said: ‘What about the bonus ball?’ I said: ‘We don’t need the bloody bonus ball!’”

Denise went on: “It was total disbelief, we’ve got all these numbers, sitting watching it on television, you think it’s a dream. When we asked how much it was, we were astounded. I’ve only ever won £25.”

The couple couldn’t sleep that night, walking around “like zombies”, according to Robert. The next morning, still in a daze, they went to a bowls match at the Trimpell sports and social club in Morecambe.

As the news began to sink in, they began to share their news with a few family members and friends.

“We were going to keep it quiet, but I couldn’t have managed the stress of having to lie,” said Denise.

Both then gave up their jobs, Denise in the fabric department at Dunelm Mill in Morecambe and Robert as a dumper truck driver at Back Lane Quarry in Carnforth.

Now the couple are looking forward to retirement with no financial worries.

They want to go on a world cruise, get a top of the range BMW car, a bigger house, lots of gifts for their family, including their seven children and 15 grandchildren, and a new bungalow for Robert’s mum.

One of the first things they will do is go to place flowers on the graves of Robert’s dad and Denise’s mum because “they must have been watching over us”.

And then, Denise says: “We’re going to try to come off cloud nine and get some sleep!”