Moment dad-of-five cab driver finds out he has won £24.5million as daughters scream and shout
The 50-year-old says he's 'over the moon' after shock win
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The 50-year-old says he's 'over the moon' after shock win
THIS is the moment a cab driver found out he had won £24.5million on the lottery as his ecstatic daughters screamed for joy.
In the heartwarming clip Amo Riselli, 50, can be seen on the phone introducing himself to the operator before leaping to his feet and yelling with joy.
The dad-of-five was surrounded by his daughters as he screamed "oh my God!" and embraced his girls.
He drove around with the winning ticket in his glove compartment for two days before realising he'd scooped the £24,501,283 Lotto prize.
But his win is tinged with sadness after four years ago discovering his partner, Donna, collapsed dead over their Christmas tree.
He said: “Christmas has been tough for me after she died.
“But I know she was with me this Christmas, I just know she was looking over me and was there for the win.”
The winner's daughter Bethany Sciberras posted a moving tribute to her late mum last month on the anniversary of her death.
She wrote: "3 years ago I lost the most amazing woman, missing you lost love you mum."
Friends have told how Amo found Donna collapsed over the Christmas tree in their home in Gloucester December 2013 and could do nothing to save her.
They say he suffered his own heart attack weeks before as he pulled 70-hour shifts for his family.
Neighbour Barbara said it was about time the overworked grandfather-of-nine had some luck.
"He's a hard-working family man who loves his kids and his grandchildren, they're all gorgeous," said the 72-year-old.
"He's been on his own now for a while. Donna had a heart attack in the middle of the night. Amo was working so wasn't there. It was very sad.
"He has been a wonderful friend to us."
The conscientious taxi driver continued to drive customers around the busy Christmas period even after his win but has now decided to hang up his keys for good.
"I'm not going to play the lottery any more, as I've already conquered that 'big win' - it is someone else's turn now," said the father of five daughters, who bought his winning ticket from a Post Office near where he lives in Linden, an area of Gloucester.
"I may now be a multi-millionaire but I am still the same normal person I always was, just with a bit more loose change in my pocket."
Mr Riselli's family are also overjoyed with the win, with 80-year-old mum Maria Riselli storing the lucky ticket in a glass jar over the Christmas period.
Mr Riselli originally thought he'd pocketed £240,000, and ran over to his sister Lisa's hair salon shouting excitedly before realising he'd won 100 times that amount.
"I try to get my tickets checked in the same shop and I have always said: 'One day this machine is going to start smoking red hot because I will have hit the big one.'
"I can't believe that it's actually happened to me for real."
Mr Riselli, who said he was "shaking like a leaf", then called his brother Marco to tell him his good news.
"He said he didn't understand how that could be as he'd already checked his own ticket and didn't remember that winning amount.
"He asked what numbers I'd got and when I told him he cried: 'You've won the whole jackpot of £24 million!'"
News of his luck has even spread as far as Italy, where his parents are originally from, with friends and well-wishers eager to send their congratulations.
After treating family and friends, Mr Riselli is planning on moving house.
He wants a four bedroom home with a swimming pool but still in the Gloucester area, where he has lived his entire life.
He is also going to organise a big get-together to thank his colleagues from his taxi rank, where he was self-employed for 12 years.
A holiday to Las Vegas is on the cards, but more than anything, the happy winner just wants to spend time with his family.
"It's an amazing feeling and I'm absolutely over the moon," he said.
The Lotto jackpot is capped at £22 million and once it is reached the sum has to be won in the next draw.
Normally Lotto players would need six matching numbers to claim the prize, but Mr Riselli got lucky when the jackpot rolled down to five numbers matching his 18, 36, 48, 57, 58, 59 and a bonus ball of 50.
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