Single father who won 拢1m lottery jackpot turns up to work as chef on Christmas Day
Didzis Pirags says the win will allow him to provide the "best possible life" for his five-year-old son.
Friday 27 December 2019 13:54, UK
A chef who won 拢1m on an online scratchcard still turned up to work his shift at a pub on Christmas Day.
Single father Didzis Pirags, 36, said he still needed to finish his shifts on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and over the weekend - despite his huge win.
Mr Pirags, who has a five-year-old son, was on his lunch break at the Hungry Horse Pub in Preston, Lancashire, on Saturday when he logged into his National Lottery account to use the £6.50 he had left over.
While in the flat where he lives above the pub, he began to play the Merry Millions Instant Win game.
The Latvian-born chef said: "The first thing I scratched off said £1m.
"The nanny was there and I said 'could you look at it, could you look at it please, I can't believe it, is that £1m?'
"I literally ran downstairs and said to my boss 'look, look it's £1 million isn't it, isn't it?'
"She said 'yeah, it is £1m' and I rang the number and they confirmed it."
Mr Pirags says the win will allow him to spend more time with his young son.
He currently works 60 hours a week and pays a nanny to look after his child.
His regular 12-hour shifts, including at weekend, mean he can only spend time with his son a couple of evenings a week.
Revealing his win on Friday, Mr Pirags said he did not spoil his son over Christmas but bought him some headphones as an extra present.
He has bought a four-bedroom house for £280,000 with his winnings and is planning to buy a new car and give his current car to a friend.
Mr Pirags, who moved to the UK nine years ago, says he wants to let the win "soak in" before spending the rest of the money.
He said: "All I want is to be able to provide the best possible life for my son and this win will enable me to do exactly this."