The National Lottery has released the recording of the moment Graham Nield confirmed he had won more than £6m.
Mr Nield and his then partner Amanda, of of Hanging Heaton, Batley, won £6,676,215 by matching six numbers in August last year.
The couple scooped the life-changing sum when 15, 25, 26, 33, 34 and 41 were pulled from the machine.
But the couple didn't call Lottery HQ until the following day.
In the call, which you can listen to by clicking above, an operator checks Mr Nield's ticket and confirms that the money is his.
He goes silent for a moment and then says: "Oh my God, we've won. I'm crying."
Amanda jokingly asks the operator to get a doctor!
When he realised his win Graham, 56, popped the question to his partner of 10 years.
Speaking at the time, he said: "I didn’t get down on one knee at the time because Amanda was bouncing up and down.
“She was on the ceiling like she was filled with helium.”
As Amanda was screaming and jumping with excitement, Graham decided there was no time like the present.
“We recently went to Tenerife and I was planning to ask Amanda to marry me,” he said.
“But every morning at breakfast I got really nervous and the words just wouldn’t come out.
“When we found out that we’d won I blurted: ‘Now will you marry me?’ to which she replied: ‘Yes, but it isn’t because you’ve loads of money. It’s because I love you.’”
Graham said: “Once I’d signed the ticket I called the National Lottery line but we had to wait until Monday to call back as it was out of hours.”
Graham added: “I didn’t really remember the call, a lot of my memories are a blur from when we won. I just wanted someone to say it was real and confirm it. I kept welling up, I don’t cry often but it was such an emotional moment.”
Here's a transcript of the phone call featured above.
Mr Nield's words are in bold
Hello, you're through to the National Lottery, how may I help?
Errrm... I'm wanting to check my ticket.
Right.
I think I've won.
OK, for what?
The jackpot... I think.
OK.
Well, I've checked it, checked it and checked it.
Oh right, let's have a look. (The operator matches the ticket with their system) OK congratulations, £6,000,000.
Oh you're joking.No.Please tell me you're not joking.
I'm not joking.
Oh God, (talking to Amanda in background) we've won. I'm crying.
Do you want to sit down?
I am sat down... deep breath.
Deep breath.
I mean, I can't imagine what it's like being in your position.
You don't know what to say do you, it's just babble coming out. Believe it or not I'm working, just carrying on as normal.
And you just checked it today did you?
No we checked it last night but we've been on tenterhooks all night. Now I'm giggling because Amanda has just said 'Tell her I need a doctor'.
Well all I can say to that is dreams do come true.
Yes they do.
Professor Michael Trimble of the Institute of Neurology, University College, London, and his co-worker Professor Dale Hesdorffer of Columbia University, New York have conducted many surveys on crying as an emotional response, and recently have examined the emotions of National Lottery winners.
Most of the sample were married or living with a partner, and had won over £1million. They found out that the initial reaction of winners was shock or disbelief, but their most joyful memory was when they shared the news with family, loved ones and friends, rather than at that exact life-changing moment they find out they have become a millionaire.
Professor Trimble explained: “News of the win prompts shock and disbelief for the ticket-holder – which can be demonstrated through prolonged periods of silence, screams of happiness and mind-racing thoughts of their new life ahead. From this point on, personal emotions and the joy of the win seems to increase, as the winner has received something they didn’t think was ever going to happen to them, but it was something that they had always wished and hoped for, that had now come true”.
“Winners are most likely to cry when they share their amazing news with family and friends. This sharing moment, which makes the life changing effect of the win a reality for the winner and their close others, triggers the largest emotional response as it allows others to empathise with their feelings and on a basic level, share what they feel. The well renowned British stiff upper lip really doesn’t come into play with a National Lottery win.”
