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I almost lost out on £400k People’s Postcode Lottery win after bizarre reaction to the call… I was too busy to chat
The plumber was too busy to chat when he got the call
A DAD who almost lost out on £400,000 has revealed his bizarre reaction to the winning call as he was too busy to talk.
Sean Edwards, 51, and three of his neighbours landed their share of £1million in the People's Postcode Lottery last year.
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But the plumber was working inside the home of a Game of Thrones star when he picked up the phone.
Sean said: "I was in an attic that belongs to the actor Jerome Flynn when I got the phone call.
"I was a little bit busy and told them I didn't have time to take the call and asked them to ring me back."
Jerome Flynn played Bronn in the hit HBO show which aired from 2011 to 2019.
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Sean said it wasn't until a friend called and said that a lottery camera crew was on his Pembrokeshire, Wales, street that he realised who had called him.
LOTTO WINNER NEAR-MISSES
LOTTO winners up and down the country have shared tales of when they almost lost their winnings before even being able to spend it because of little-known rules or family members thinking it's a scam.
MUM IS NOT ALWAYS RIGHT
Joanne Jobson from Hartlepool, County Durham, snagged the top prize on Set For Life and now banks £10,000 every month - and will do so for the next three decades.
But the hardworking carer revealed how she almost missed out on the prize money after her mum believed it was a scam.
After Joanne checked her account and discovered she had won a jaw-dropping amount of money, she rushed to tell her mum, who she lives with.
She said: "I jumped out of bed and went to tell my mum.
"I remember just saying to mum ‘I think I might have won a lot of money’ and showing her my phone.
"Mum was convinced it was a scam, so I googled the winning Set For Life numbers for the same date to see if they matched - which of course they did."
It was only when Joanne got through to the staff at the National Lottery that she was able to confirm that her life had changed forever.
A MOVING OUT GIFT
Lucky punter Alan Jones, 56, had almost axed his ticket for his sold Tyne and Wear property.
Instead, on the last day in his home, Jones' Westerhope postcode struck gold with him and five other neighbours who all netted £166,666 each.
Jones said: "I was going to cancel my ticket and renew it wherever I end up. Thank goodness I didn’t.
"I’ve got to be out by 2pm tomorrow and I’m basically packing up the house now because I need a new start. This has helped give me that."
CHECK YOUR LOTTO BALANCE
Euromillions winner Ian Anderson scooped a £1million jackpot prize, but nearly missed out on the life-changing win.
Ian Anderson, 77, and wife Marlyn, 70, bagged the massive sum after copping the fateful £2.50 Lucky Dip ticket.
The elderly couple only had £4.90 left in their account before they opted to take a chance on the jackpot.
Marlyn, who now cares for her terminally ill husband after he was sadly diagnosed with pleural plaques and pulmonary fibrosis, always plays the Lottery but had no idea that one day she would win big.
She recalled: “I just thought there is no point £4.90 just sitting in my account, I will buy a lucky dip ticket for the next draw.
"It was the day after the draw that I saw an email saying there was good news about my ticket."
LISTEN TO YOUR GUT
Tamsin Burling, 33, admitted to learning a big lesson after scooping £83,000 on the lottery
The mum, who won her share of £1million alongside her Kent neighbors, said her fiancé Craig Billington once tried to convince her not to buy a ticket.
But she ignored him and now they've scooped tens of thousands of pounds.
Craig, 32, looked on sheepishly as Tamsin, who at the time was seven months pregnant with their third child, celebrated the five-figure win.
Sean was also double-happy as he had bought two tickets and had doubled his winnings to £400,000.
He said: "I was back up at Jerome's this morning when a friend of mine messaged me and asked if I knew the Postcode Lottery camera crew were on the street.
"I phoned Caroline and she said they were, so I came straight home."
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When he accepted the cheque Sean said he was "gobsmacked" by the winnings that could change his life.
He said he quickly turned to his fiancée Caroline and said: "We're going to get married now."
I advise EuroMillions winners and this is the one thing you need to do if you win the jackpot
Sean said he would also consider giving up plumbing.
He said: "I've been a self-employed plumber for 18 years and I've been saying for a long time that I could give it up tomorrow.
"I've also been farming and doing more of that than plumbing. I would genuinely give it up tomorrow. To be honest, I think we may now."
He added: "This is life-changing for us and our family. I'm still in shock. This will change a lot of lives."
Caroline added: "The farm would be for children and adults who struggle with mental health or people with mobility issues.
"We want people to be able to come to us to feed the animals and experience the farming side of things."
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One of Sean's neighbours also opened up about the win - and how she kept it a secret from her husband.
Maria Perkins, 55, was overwhelmed when she discovered the eye-watering win.
How to play People's Postcode Lottery
People’s Postcode Lottery costs £12 a month to play and there are guaranteed winners every day.
People play with their chosen postcode and are automatically entered into all draws.
When that postcode is drawn, people holding the right tickets inside it win.
A minimum of 33% of each ticket goes to charity.
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