A couple who did not have “much left to live on” after Christmas are now celebrating a £119,000 EuroMillions prize after a lucky trip to buy carrots for Sunday lunch.

Martin Gilbey, 50, from Northampton, said he and partner Tracy had been discussing their tight finances after an expensive Christmas, but decided they “still must have a Sunday roast”.

After noticing they were short on vegetables, Mr Gilbey headed to the shop and bought a EuroMillions ticket to meet the minimum £3 purchase on his card.

Having initially forgotten about the ticket, he then scanned it on the National Lottery app after Tracy went to bed, only to find out he had won the huge prize.

“At this point I was starting to get a bit hot under the collar, so I called Tracy to come downstairs to help,” he said.

“She cried out, ‘I’m not coming downstairs for a tenner’ but eventually looked at the ticket when she realised something was going on.

“We both checked it again and after many more scans of the ticket we started to cry, cuddle and jump about.”

EuroMillions winners
Martin Gilbey and his partner Tracy celebrating a £119,000 EuroMillions win (Camelot/PA)

Mr Gilbey, who works at a glass and window manufacturing company, said he told his family the news over a Zoom call.

He said: “I think some thought there was a problem, but I started the call by saying I had some great news. Initially, many thought it was a practical joke, but soon were all cheering together.”

Mr Gilbey added: “I haven’t thought about buying anything, I just want to help my family. We’ve all had a tough year, and a little bit of help will make a big difference to them all.”