A LOTTERY-winning couple were overjoyed when they took home a £1million jackpot – before tragedy struck.
Grandfather Mark Francis, 49, was watching daytime TV when he saw an email saying he'd won the EuroMillions UK Millionaire Maker in January 2022.
He swiftly rang the lottery company and heard the magic words: "Yes Mr Francis, you are a millionaire."
Mark, a delivery driver from Swansea, Wales, rushed to call his fiancée Helen, a carer, who was with a patient at the time.
She said: "I was just about to shower a lady, and told him I couldn't speak.
"But he was saying no, no, no, I need to tell you we have won the lottery."
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But tragedy struck when Helen was diagnosed with breast cancer during a routine checkup shortly after their win.
Luckily, doctors made the horror diagnosis early and put Helen into treatment straight away.
She is now celebrating her first year cancer free – and is looking forward to their wedding.
Helen told Wales Online: "After the high of winning, it was a massive bump.
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"It was a lot to take in but we all got through it together and now we can look forward and plan our wedding and celebration with all the family.
“After the win, my health scare definitely put everything into perspective but I was lucky once again, and now firmly on the mend we can really start to enjoy the win.
"We’ve been busy planning our wedding, and I feel blessed that I can choose things I want rather than what the budget dictates, having said that I’m not going wild, I’m still keeping a keen eye on the pennies."
Mark and Helen have since been able to buy a home, travel to all of Wales' Six Nations games, and upgrade their cars following their win.
Mark added: "Sharing the luck is important to us so we recently bought a caravan on The Gower which means that friends and family can enjoy short breaks and family holidays too.
"It’s already proving so popular with my mother and our grandchildren I’m not sure how much time we will actually get to spend there."
He said the best thing about the win was the security the funds gave the couple.
Both were working long shifts and taking on overtime to pay the bills.
But now the pair – who are still working following their jackpot – only work for the satisfaction that comes with it.
The pair are also planning their wedding and hope to go on more holidays in the years to come.
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