Dad loses nan and wins £3.5m house within 24 hours

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Jamie Loveridge, 37, said his family were still coming to terms with their loss when they received the life-changing news.

The father-of-two initially ignored the call telling him he had won and blocked the number before his wife answered.

"We lost my nan the night before we found out we'd won the house, so that was all we were thinking about," he said.

"We never imagined the next day we'd win a multi-million-pound house. It feels like she's had something to do with this, like she's done this from above."

Loveridge, who lives with wife Katie and their two sons in a three-bedroom house in Worcestershire, said the win would transform the family's future.

"All I've ever wanted is to give Katie and the boys the best life possible," he said, adding: "This win means I can do that in ways I never dreamed of now.

"The boys are only young. This has changed their future. It gives us options and security we never imagined."

He later described the prize as a "generational legacy" for the family.

The life-changing call came as the couple were trying to keep things as normal as possible for their sons and prepare to take them to football training.

Loveridge ignored the first call from draw organisers Omaze and blocked the number.

But when the phone rang again, he passed it to his wife, who realised it was a call worth answering.

After being told they had won a significant prize, the family learned they were the owners of a five-bedroom Victorian property in north-west London complete with a treehouse, zip line and garden studio.

"When we saw we'd won the house we were both absolutely gobsmacked," Loveridge admitted.

"You just never expect something like this to actually happen. It was all a blur but I don't think I'll ever forget that moment."

He said the family celebrated by ordering pizzas.

"The boys smashed theirs, but we were still too stunned to eat ours," he said.

"We didn't get a wink of sleep over the weekend. I woke up at three in the morning and had to ask my wife: 'Did that really happen?'"

The property comes mortgage-free, with stamp duty and legal fees covered, along with £195,000 worth of furnishings and £250,000 in cash.

Loveridge said the prize would allow the family to consider opportunities they had never previously imagined.

"Whatever we decide, this win is a generational legacy for our family," he said.

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