Imagine pulling a prank on your husband, telling him you won the lottery—only for it to actually happen just three weeks later. Sounds like a dream, right? Well, that’s exactly what happened to Charlotte Peart.
Back in 2018, Charlotte decided to mess with her husband, Daniel, by pretending they had hit a £250,000 ($305,000) jackpot. Naturally, he didn’t believe her. So, when she got the real call saying they had actually won £1 million ($1.2 million) weeks later, Daniel was convinced it was just another joke.
To prove it wasn’t a prank this time, Charlotte had to send him a screenshot of their winning numbers from the EuroMillions draw. Only then did reality start to sink in.
When you buy a #EuroMillions #Hotpicks ticket on a whim, and end up bagging £1M!
— The National Lottery (@TNLUK) September 7, 2018
Peterborough couple Charlotte and Daniel Peart tell us about their win. pic.twitter.com/pgvg2bpPO8
When she called the lottery center to confirm, Charlotte’s first reaction was pure shock—she couldn’t stop laughing. “I think I’m going to cry,” she told the operator, struggling to process the fact that their lives had just changed forever.
At first, she thought she had won just £3 ($3.70) after receiving a standard email notification. But when she actually checked her account, she was stunned to see six zeros staring back at her. “You don’t see that often. I can’t believe it, I think I’m in shock,” she admitted in the recorded call.
The lottery operator confirmed the massive win and simply said, “Congratulations, have a good day.” Charlotte’s response? “I’m having a brilliant day, cheers!”
Fast forward five years, and Charlotte, now 33, still remembers the moment vividly. “I couldn’t stop giggling—it was nerves mixed with disbelief,” she recalled. “Just two weeks earlier, I had pranked Daniel about winning £250,000. To then actually win a million was crazy!”
Daniel Peart had to try and keep calm on the drive home to celebrate with wife Charlotte after finding out he'd won £1M on EuroMillions Hotpicks – we don't know how he did it!
— The National Lottery (@TNLUK) September 14, 2018
How would you react if you won big on EuroMillions tonight? 😮😂😅💃🍾 pic.twitter.com/AWp9fyPqOM
Even crazier? She bought the winning ticket on a whim with the last £1.50 left in their online lottery account.
With their newfound fortune, the couple purchased their dream home, allowing Charlotte to launch her own small business while spending more time with their three kids. Daniel, 32, continues working as a carpenter, and the family now has two Labrador dogs—one of which they named Millie, short for “millionaire.” Talk about making the win even more memorable!
Since its launch in 1994, the National Lottery has created over 7,000 millionaires, with 375 of them winning just in 2022. According to lottery call center worker Anita Pires, winners react in all kinds of ways—from crying to dancing around the room in disbelief.
Now, after hearing Charlotte’s story, I’m seriously considering pranking my friends and family by faking a lottery win—who knows? Maybe fate will take the hint and make it real. Worth a shot, right?
