Widow grandmother wins £4.5 million mansion for just £25
A recently widowed grandmother won a £4.5m Cornish waterside mansion in a house draw.
June Smith, 74, from Essex, entered - and won - the Omaze Million Pound House Draw, bagging herself a six-bedroom, three storey house overlooking the picturesque Fowey Estuary in Cornwall.
As well as winning the swish new gaff, she also scooped £100,000 in cash to help with her move and get her settled, while all stamp duty and legal fees are also covered.
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June, who has three children and six grandchildren, tragically lost her husband Ron last year after he suffered a heart attack aged 74.
She’s lived in her two-bedroom detached house in Essex for the past 17 years, but now - thanks for her £25 entry into the draw - has a much larger property ready for her to move into.
June said: “I was just settling in for a standard Friday night in front of the tele - then the next thing I knew I’d won a mansion, I couldn’t believe it. The first thing I did was call my children, the second was to open a bottle of red!
“My husband Ron died last year, but I’m sure he played a part in this win – he won it for all of us. Ron always wanted us to be financially secure as a family - and this house gives us that security.
“He spent his life working with architecture, he’d have absolutely loved this house – it’s a work of art.
“We used to come for family holidays in Cornwall and stay in a caravan, but now we own a £4.5m mansion – it’s just unbelievable!
“The house is truly stunning and the views are simply breathtaking, even the rain couldn’t dampen our spirits when we first came here, it was love at first sight.
“It has its own yoga studio, so maybe I’ll take that up, although my son says it would make a great bar too.
She added: “I’ve got six beautiful grandchildren and have now got plenty of room for all of them to come and stay - we’re going to have the best summer holiday ever.
“Having spent some time at the house, I’m definitely going to keep it for a while, whatever I decide to do long term it’s a life changing win for our family.”
Under the competition's rules, June is free to either live in the house, rent it out or sell it.
If June decides to rent it out, local estate agents estimate that the property could achieve £5,000 - £7,000 per month from long-term rentals - and up to £14,000 a week from peak season holiday rentals.
Claire Reid