Moving moment EuroMillions winning cancer dad tells son he’s worth a fortune

This is the moment lucky Lotto winner Paul Harvey revealed to his son he was a millionaire – but only after he went through a week without realising his good fortune.

The single dad – who recently underwent treatment for bowel cancer – is planning on taking his family on a holiday to Greece after bagging £1million on the EuroMillions. But first he admitted he needed to apply for passports for his children.

Paul, 51, from Attleborough, Norfolk, said: “Life hasn’t always been easy, but the kids mean the world to me, and they always come first. We have never been away abroad together, and I would love to take them both to Greece. But first we need to get our passports.”

He added: “I am so proud of what the kids have achieved already in life. They both have big ideas about what they want to do when they leave school, and I cannot wait to help them in their chosen careers. It’s the important stuff like helping them to learn to drive and getting them a car and insurance so they can get to college and then work.

“My daughter has a driving test later this year and I would love to get her a second-hand Fiat 500 for her to practice in.”

Paul didn’t realise he had bagged the life-changing win for a whole week. He checked his National Lottery account as normal after the draw on July 4 to find he had won £5 plus a free Lucky Dip ticket. He thought, ‘Happy days’, and went about his day.

It wasn’t until a week later that he got an unexpected email from The National Lottery urging him to check his account again and to get in touch urgently. Suspicious Paul said: “It didn’t look like the normal email I get.

“I thought this must be a scam. I read the email again and then Googled the National Lottery Line where I saw the telephone numbers matched; It was then that I allowed myself to get much more excited.”

Paul won by matching the unique raffle code in the EuroMillions Millionaire Maker draw on July 4. Instead of matching numbers on the main draw, each ticket is given a unique code which is entered into a raffle, with a top prize of £1million.

Paul said: “It felt like forever waiting for the kids to get home from school so I could break the news. Their reactions were hilarious and heart-warming. We all feel ridiculously excited and relieved in equal measure. It just doesn’t seem real.”

Paul filmed the moment he broke the news to his son. He said: “I wanted to tell the kids in person so when my son got home I set up my phone to record it. I got a massive lump in my throat as I asked him, ‘How many millionaires do you know?’ He said, ‘Zero’, and I replied: ‘Well you do now’. I then added, ‘I swear on my life’. I do like to joke but when I say those words, my kids know to take it seriously.”

Paul said: “We can afford our very own home, and I can finally have my own bedroom rather than sleeping downstairs. And to go on a family holiday altogether will be fantastic. I can speak Greek fluently and I can’t wait to show off to the kids.” Before having children, Paul lived in Cyprus for many years and hasn’t ruled out exploring a return to living permanently in the sun.

He said: “I lived in Cyprus for 12 years when I was younger. I would love to go back one day but for now it’s a holiday in Greece for me and the kids. This win gives us so many more options, but I want to take my time and do it right.”