I was overjoyed at winning £14.2M Lotto jackpot – but I immediately gave huge chunk away for heart-wrenching reason
A LOTTO winner scooped £14.2million – and immediately gave away a huge chunk for a heart-wrenching reason.
Taxi driver Bob Frazer, from Heaton, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, discovered he had the winning numbers when he returned home from a night shift at 6am.
On claiming his win in 2003, he immediately called a press conference to track down son Alan who he hadn’t spoken to for 12 years.
During the presser, he promised to dish out a life-changing £1million share of his windfall to Alan.
He said: “I love him to bits.
“I’d love to see him – he’ll be a millionaire.
“I hope he will give me a ring tomorrow – but I should probably get in touch with him before he gets in touch with me.”
And his wish came true, with the father and son reunited in an emotional meeting.
Weeping with joy, the pair embraced for five minutes.
The then-35-year-old Alan was only six when his parents divorced, and while the two saw saw each other during weekends, their relationship gradually waned.
Apart from attending his father’s wedding to his second wife in 1983, the two seldom got together and had last met in 1990.
Alan then settled in Blyth, Northumberland, for five years.
He married, but divorced in 1997.
The mechanic revealed he was surprised to hear his father wanted to get back in touch, and extremely nervous before the two rubbed shoulders again.
He said: “My heart was jumping before we met. When I heard he’d won, I thought, good on him. It was a shock when I heard he wanted to get back in touch.”