A MUM who landed a whopping £1million jackpot says she still can't believe she scooped the win.
Toni Henderson, 32, said that she initially thought she'd won only a tiny fraction of the cash after merely scanning her eyes over her ticket.
But even when she saw the seven-figure sum on her screen - and reality sunk in - the mum-of-one went back to work.
The County Durham woman said: “There are no words to express how you feel. I had this excited butterfly feeling having the win officially confirmed and then seeing all of the zeros in my bank account.
"You sit and think about what you’d do all the time if you won, but then, when it happens, you don’t know what to do."
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The mum plans to keep working at her payments assistant job as she wants her son to understand the importance of making your own money.
Toni recalled the conversation she had with her boss after the win, saying: “I texted my manager and said, ‘something bizarre has happened at the weekend, can you give me a ring?’.
"When I told him I’d won £1m on the National Lottery at the weekend he could not believe it. I asked to have a few days off to try and get my head around it all.
“I want to keep working - it gives my son a good upbringing and he can learn the value of working hard."
Toni said she would occasionally buy National Lottery Lucky Dips on a Saturday and did so before the big win.
The mum said she woke as normal the following day to look over the ticket.
The 32-year-old said: “I checked one of the lines and realised I had some of the numbers.
"I originally thought I had matched five numbers, which was £1,700 and I was buzzing that I’d won that - it was extra money I didn’t have.
"But when I logged into my online account it came along the top that I had won £1m. I sat there counting the zeros, shaking in bed, whilst my son was still asleep."
Despite landing the jackpot, Toni said she didn't go mad with her spending, and plans to keep at her payments assistant role.
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She recalled: “I did take my son shopping and we bought some toys but even then I told him certain things were too expensive.
"I have always had to be cautious with money so it doesn’t feel right to spend lots on things I wouldn’t have bought before. I am not a materialistic person, even now I find a pair of trainers over £100 far too expensive."
Toni said even though she's always tried to be good with her money, she was living payday to payday ahead of the win.
She said with a smile: "The win will help me massively - I have so much freedom now and I feel a lot more independent.
"It gives my son the start he deserves and I want the money to last for our future.
“To be honest, I feel a bit guilty for spending it as I haven’t earned it. I am so unbelievably grateful but it’s going to take a lot of time to sink in."
She said she is now thinking of splashing out on a house and car - while lending pals a helping hand.
But, Toni intends to try to keep life as normal as possible for her son, adding: "My mum has always worked and I want him to have a good mindset and learn that for the nice things in life, you have to earn them.
"I want to be a good role model for him. I have worked since the age of 17 - I would be bored and lost if I didn’t work.”
She added: “I am also going to take my son to Disney World Florida. You only live once and he has never been abroad.
"That is a one-off trip that I wouldn’t have been able to do before the win.
“I get a lot of comfort out of helping others – that’s what I get a buzz out of.”
