The McCarthy's numbers came up trumps in the Christmas Day (2012) draw, but the couple were so busy they failed to realize a six figure sum was waiting for them.
Ten days after the draw, Mr. McCarthy finally fished out the ticket and checked it. His wife was working at the local bingo hall at the time, and when Mr. McCarthy rushed over to give her the good news she became understandably emotional, but insisted on finishing her shift. "I kept bursting into tears," she admitted, "and people thought there was something wrong with me."
After they had picked up their winnings the generous couple gave away £100,000, splitting it between 30 of their family and friends. They also spent a further £20,000 on a trip to Florida, but Mr. McCarthy still works at the Nissan car manufacturing plant and his wife continued in her job until last September, even though the interest on their savings was a match for her bingo hall paycheck.
"We are not an extravagant couple," Mr. McCarthy stated. "The first thing we did was book the holiday, neither of us had a passport or had ever been abroad. It was fantastic—all inclusive—but apart from that we haven't spent the money." The couple still has £750,000 left and plan on investing it wisely.
