Bus driver, 51, left in tears after $2 million surprise

UK man Steve Goodwin ordered a kebab from his local takeaway shop before popping into a nearby supermarket to buy a loaf of bread.

“I went into the kebab shop next door first to order a doner and I then stopped in the store for some bread and stuff and got to the till to pay,” he said.

“I decided to buy a scratchcard and scratched it when I got outside.”

It was then that the 51-year-old realised the scratchie was golden — he’d won a staggering £1 million (A$1.9m).

Mr Goodwin went back inside, and supermarket staff told him he had to contact National Lottery to verify the win.

“I had been a bit longer than I thought so I went into the kebab shop, got my doner, and drove home,“ he said.

“I can’t remember much of the journey, as I was a bit emotional. I am not embarrassed to say I shed a tear.”

Steve was left so shocked that he was unable to eat his dinner.

He said: “I sat in the kitchen and tried to eat my kebab, but I couldn’t. In the end, I just put it in the bin. I then told my landlady that I needed to make an important call and asked if I could use her landline, and I rang the National Lottery people.”

Mr Goodwin called his partner, Heidi, and his mum to share the good news, but said neither believed him.

“I had to take a photo and send a picture,” he said.

“I too couldn’t really believe it. I just sat there looking at it, holding it tightly. And that night I put the scratch card in an envelope and put it under my pillow for safekeeping.”

Mr Goodwin had passed his bus driving test just a year earlier and went to work the day after his win.

“As the people hopped on, I was chuckling to myself. There I was a bus driver, with a load of passengers on board, and nobody knows I’m a millionaire,” he said.

“I love my job, it’s great to meet so many people and the countryside as you drive around is sometimes breathtaking. The people at my depot have been great with me as the new boy.

“When they found out I had won, they were delighted for me. They couldn’t be happier for me.”

Mr Goodwin and Heidi have since taken themselves on holiday and bought a new car. Both have always rented, so they plan to buy a home together with the winnings.

“I’ve never had much, ever. I’ve always rented, just throwing my money away on a roof over my head,” Mr Goodwin said.

“The win will change everything. We’ll have a home for the first time ever, with no mortgage and still have enough for retirement.

“I will continue working, so will Heidi but we plan to have more holidays. We are now both debt free which is unbelievable and it’s a wonderful nest egg for our retirement. Life is pretty good.”