A delivery driver from Northern Ireland turned up to work the day after winning nearly $5 million from the National Lottery. Jonny Johnson from County Fermanagh said he didn’t want to let his colleagues down during the busy Christmas period.
Jonny works as a delivery driver for Tesco, one of the United Kingdom’s largest supermarkets. Just before Christmas, Jonny and his colleagues were on a staff night out when he received a notification from the National Lottery app on his phone saying he had won a prize.
As he assumed it was nothing more than a small cash prize, Jonny continued enjoying his evening, as he could quickly check the notification the following morning. When he finally did check his phone, the delivery driver was shocked to find out he’d just won £3.8 million, or around $4.8 million.
Such an exorbitant amount of money would have allowed many to retire instantly. Yet, Jonny, who works at a Tesco store in Country Fermanagh, decided to show up to complete his shift on December 23 so that no one else would have to come in on their day off, according to the Belfast Telegraph.
Jonny felt he should honor the shift he was scheduled to complete. So, even though he was now a multimillionaire, Jonny headed to work and delivered groceries all over his area, ensuring that customers received all the Christmas essentials they needed for the holidays.
Speaking with the Belfast Telegraph about the win, Jonny said, “I thought maybe I had won £38,000, but then there were too many zeros. I passed the phone to Christina for her to check and she was in disbelief too. We both began to think that it was a trick, a scam even.”
Jonny went on to say, at first, he believed it to be some kind of glitch or mistake. However, after double checking with the Camelot Group, which runs and operates the UK National Lottery, he was astonished, as he had, in fact, won nearly $5 million.
“I’m still in disbelief. This is a dream come true for me and my family. I’ve always worked hard, and this win will allow us to do things we could only ever have dreamt of before,” he told the Belfast Telegraph.
While Jonny and his wife, Christina Willaims, plan to continue working to ensure they remain grounded, they told the newspaper the money would allow them to go on holiday to the Caribbean as well as provide the family with financial stability in the future.
“We need to keep our feet on the ground; it doesn’t make us different people,” she said. “We like to work. It keeps us busy and gives you a purpose,” said Williams. Jonny and his wife later broke the news to their three adult children. He said, “The kids were silent at first, looking at both of us in disbelief. And then the screaming and shouting started and everyone was jumping around the kitchen, cheering. Seeing as it was still early, we popped the kettle on and toasted the amazing news with a cup of coffee.”
