Police officer couple to continue working despite £1 million lottery win

A couple who scooped a £1 million lottery win said they will both continue working as police officers despite the “life-changing” windfall.

Graeme White, 35, and his wife, Katherine, 36, plan to buy their dream home in the countryside for their young family after the EuroMillions win on May 7.

The couple, who have a five-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son, told their bosses in the police that they will continue working but with reduced hours, adding it was important to instil “a good work ethic” in their children.

Mr White said: “We’re only young and both enjoy what we do, so see no need to stop.

“But we have cut down our hours, which means we’ll have more of a work-life balance.

I’m a bit of a joker at times so when I turned to Katherine, and told her we’d won the EuroMillions, she didn’t take me seriously until she saw my phone

Graeme White

“I also think it’s important for the children to see us working to instil a good work ethic.”

The police officer said he thought “it had to be a mistake” when the couple, from Cambridgeshire, found out they had won £1 million, adding the win was “life-changing”.

Speaking about the moment, Mr White said: “I play EuroMillions through The National Lottery app and occasionally get a message saying I’ve won something.

“It’s usually a couple of quid, so when I saw the message I thought, ‘great, that will pay for a lunchtime meal deal at work tomorrow’.

“But when I opened the message it said I had £1,000,000 plus £3.30.

“It had to be a mistake, in my head I thought you could only win a couple of quid or the big jackpot – I didn’t know about the millionaire maker prize.

“I’m a bit of a joker at times so when I turned to Katherine, and told her we’d won the EuroMillions, she didn’t take me seriously until she saw my phone.”

Graeme and Katherine White plan to buy a house in the countryside (Chris Ratcliffe/National Lottery/PA)PA Media - Chris Ratcliffe/National Lottery

He added: “With us both being police officers we see lots of scams so we were a touch suspicious, things like this don’t happen to people like us, it just couldn’t be real.”

Mr White said they went shopping the next day while waiting for a call to confirm the win, adding: “I wanted it to be true but couldn’t let myself believe it”.

He added: “We both laughed at our first little upgrade – as we treated ourselves to a Nero’s instead of the usual Greggs coffee.

“As we strolled around B&M absentmindedly the phone rang. I took the call and the guy on the phone confirmed the win and actually said ‘Congratulations, you’re a millionaire!’.

“I looked at Katherine and she whooped and then welled up. I don’t know what the other shoppers must have made of us!”

The police officer said the win “changes everything for us”, adding “it gives us breathing space both physically and financially”.

Mr White said: “We always wanted to live somewhere rural with plenty of outdoor space for the children – and so we could keep some chickens and goats – but thought that would be something we’d have to wait for years down the line when we were able to downsize.

A trip to Disneyland is also on the cards for the White family (Chris Ratcliffe/National Lottery/PA)PA Media - Chris Ratcliffe/National Lottery

“However, now thanks to our amazing lucky break we don’t have to wait, our dream home can become a reality, and we can start house hunting right away.

“It’s crazy to think, but our 20 year plan has now become our 12 month plan!”

Along with a new home, goats and chickens, the family’s wish list also includes a trip to Disneyland for their children as well as a pet dog.

Ms White said: “We are big Disney fans, so a trip to Disneyland is definitely on the cards for us.

“However closer to home, along with the chickens and goats, we’ve always wanted a family dog – but just didn’t have the space or the time with us both working – it wouldn’t have been fair to the dog.

“But now that’s changed we’re all excited to get a Labrador puppy, especially the children.

“We’ve already started to think of names, and obviously have some National Lottery inspired options on the list including ‘Lottie’ and ‘Millie’!”