Helen Kuchczynski had been expecting her regular takeaway meal with husband Lee to mark her birthday. Instead, she splashed out on a house, while ex-soldier Lee retired as a long-distance lorry driver and bought an Audi RS4.
Celebrating in Morecambe, Lancashire, yesterday, Helen told how her Camelot account leapt from 40p to £3,665,079.10.
She said: “We have rented all our married life and with retirement looming didn’t think that would ever change.
“Then Lady Luck more than smiled at us.
“So instead of the usual Chinese takeaway in front of the telly to celebrate my birthday, we bought a whopping detached house with all the mod cons – it even has electric gates.”
News of her win follows a ticket-holder in the UK claiming a record EuroMillions jackpot of £195million.
Lee said: “I feel sorry for the poor person who has just won £195million because it’s blown my mind to have £3.6million.”
The HGV driver said he had just done “a drop in Scunthorpe” when Helen told him to pull over “as it might be shocking”.
He said: “Hearing, ‘We’ve won £3.6million’ was shocking!”
Lee said he has been in a daze and added: “I bought a backscratcher. I snapped my other one at work so I bought an expensive one worth £17 instead of £8.”
The couple, from Kendal, Cumbria, have a daughter aged 21. Helen is staying in her job as a charity financial administrator, while Lee can finally afford to find the time for a hernia op.
Her EuroMillions Lucky Dip ticket had the numbers 14, 18, 24, 25, 50 and Lucky Star 6.