How former Sheffield United defender Terry Kennedy won £1m Lotto prize after 'string of lucky events'

Terry Kennedy, 28, who now works as a builder, and Kay Yoxall, 25, from Barnsley, usually only play the lottery on Fridays – and even then only when they remember to get a ticket.

Yet, one day last month which began a baffling string of fortunate twists of fate, the couple asked for a EuroMillions Lucky Dip, thinking it was Friday.

The shopkeeper pointed out it was actually Saturday, meaning the pair ended up getting a Lotto ticket instead.

This ticket matched two main numbers in the Lotto draw, banking the duo a further free Lucky Dip.

In the following days, Terry claimed this and after grabbing his other purchases almost left the ticket on the counter.

The eagle-eyed shop assistant called him back to pick it up, joking that it could be the ticket that makes him a millionaire.

It turned out this ticket matched five main numbers and the Bonus Ball in the Lotto draw on Wednesday, November 10, and so was immediately worth £1m.

Terry, who is a groundworker on building sites, discovered the win at work the following day. Checking his ticket during his break he thought it looked like a win, and he started to shout to his colleagues in the lunch cabin.

He was greeted with a heavy dose of scepticism from friends and even from his dad, with whom he works, who dismissed his son's claims, left his break and went back to the site.

The ticket was scanned multiple times on the National Lottery app and still seemed to be a winner. It was only when Terry called the National Lottery Line and he heard confirmation that he was a millionaire that his work colleagues finally believed him.

Terry said, “I was confused at first and just couldn’t be sure it was a winner.

"Despite all the checks it isn’t until you hear on the phone that it is a £1m win that you really believe it. Making the call in front of my mates and colleagues was brilliant and I immediately took them to the pub for a celebratory pint.”

Terry and Kay had always discussed the plan if they won big on The National Lottery while at work. Terry would call Kay and tell her to pack up her things and come home.

Kay said, “When he called and said come home I still wasn’t sure. I could hear all the lads in the background and felt sure it was a wind up. My brother works with Terry and it was only when he Facetimed me that I could see it was true.”

The couple immediately escaped the wind and rain for a week in Tenerife, before again escaping to Dublin for a long weekend. Plans are now being made for the couple to travel the world.

Terry said, “I don’t enjoy building sites during the winter so am planning to get away and see the world.

"Kay can take a break from work so we’d love to go across America, see Australia and also South East Asia. We already have New York booked for January. The ideal plan would be never to work a British Winter again!”

The winning ticket was bought in Dunsville Post Office, near Doncaster, for the Lotto draw on 10 November 2021.

Terry and Kay had one of the two tickets which matched five main numbers and the Bonus Ball in the draw, each winning £1m. The winning Lotto numbers in the draw were 10, 11, 18, 20, 37, 49 and the Bonus Ball was 5.