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Everyone dreams of telling their boss: “I’m not coming into work today, I’ve won the lottery."

This dream became a reality for these winners when they each scooped more than a million pounds on the National Lottery.

The cash draw has just created its 4,000th millionaire.

According to Camelot, the average winner buys FIVE cars and goes for THREE holidays every year.

(Image: Getty)

Wales Online caught up with three winners to find out how winning the jackpot has changed their lives.

(Image: PA)

Denise and Paul Hardware

Paul Hardware had just found out he was going to be made redundant from his job as a chef when he discovered he had won nearly £5m.

The 51-year-old from Cardiff had been working opposite shifts to his wife Denise, a bakery supervisor, and the couple hardly saw each other.

“We’d been buying lottery tickets for 14 years and we’d won a couple of tenners, but that was it,” said Denise.

After discovering Paul was going to lose his job, the pair decided to add an extra line of lucky dip numbers to their ticket.

Kept checking the numbers

“I looked the numbers up on Teletext,” recalled Paul. “I checked them and checked them again. I refused to turn Teletext off in case the numbers changed!”

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The pair had to wait for two hours before the Camelot office opened at 9am and in the meantime, Denise had to go into work.

When Paul made the phone call, he was told they had all six numbers and had won a total of £4,986,272.

Quit jobs immediately

The couple, who are dedicated rugby fans, chose to have their cheque presentation at the Millennium Stadium, where they were met by scrum-half legend Gareth Edwards.

Paul and Denise both left their jobs straight away and decided to go on a cruise to the Mediterranean to let the news sink in.

(Image: Getty)

When they returned home, they paid off their mortgage and bought their dream home in Somerset.

They also bought a second-hand Vauxhall Astra for their son Matthew, who was 20 at the time and had just written off his old car.

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Since then, they have bought three more properties for Matthew and other family members, as well as a caravan for themselves in Trecco Bay, Porthcawl.

“We’d both been staying there since we were children and it’s a great base for visiting the family,” said Denise.

(Image: Media Wales)

Helped fund son's degree

The couple have also been able to help Matthew, 28, to fund his degree in animal biology and conservation from Oxford Brookes University.

“I trained him up as a chef, but it’s great that we’ve been able to help him fulfil what he always wanted to do,” said Paul.

The couple have set up savings accounts for their three grandchildren – seven-year-old Francesca, four-year-old Logan and two-year-old James.

“Life has changed so much since we won,” said Denise. “It’s lovely to be able to spoil the grandchildren.”

(Image: Peter Bolter/Wales on Sunday)

Paul and Denise's win in numbers

August 18, 2007 : The date of their win

£5m: The amount they won

£44,000: What it cost to pay off their mortgage

£3,000: Cost of a cruise in the Mediterranean

£450,000: Cost of a house in Somerset

£31,000: Price of a caravan in Trecco Bay

£1m: Amount spent on property (that's four houses in total)

£40,000 : The price of helping their son through university

Nigel Willetts

Pub landlord Nigel Willetts, 49, accidentally pulled a £20 note out of his pocket when he was buying lottery tickets.

“It was a bit of an accident,” he recalled. “I used to do the lottery as and when. If I was in the shop, I’d buy £10 worth of tickets, but on this occasion, I pulled a £20 note out of my wallet.

“It was a rollover, so I decided to spend the £20 and did a lucky dip.”

Nigel, who had been running the Bridgend Inn at Bedwas for seven years, discovered he had won on the Saturday evening.

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“I just didn’t believe it,” he said. “I got my sister Wendy to check the ticket for me. She thought I was joking!

“I was scared to give it to the girl behind the counter. She told me to ring Camelot, but I was worried about making a fool of myself. Then they told me I’d won a million pounds.”

Celebrated with pub lock-in

Nigel chose to have his cheque presentation in the pub with his regulars and had an all-night lock-in to celebrate.

“I wanted everyone to be able to enjoy it, they were all so excited,” he said.

“The money was in the bank by the Tuesday – I was amazed. I thought it would take much longer.”

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Nigel had met his fiancé Karen the week before his win and phoned her to tell her the good news.

He later proposed in Venice and the pair will tie the knot next year, before heading for a honeymoon in the Seychelles.

(Image: Range Rover)

Took 13 family members to Florida

Nigel’s sister has taken over the day-to-day running of the pub and he has paid off the mortgage, as well as buying a new house and a Range Rover Sport.

He treated 13 family members to a holiday in Florida and has also travelled to Mexico and Dubai and is planning to visit Las Vegas for his 50th birthday.

Nigel has also invested in a trampoline centre called Go Air and hopes to expand the business across Europe.

“It really does change your life,” he said. “Although I haven’t changed as a person. It’s nice to be able to relax a bit and to help your family out.”

(Image: Getty)

Nigel's win in numbers:

Friday, June 13, 2014: Date he bought his ticket

£20: Amount he spent on lottery tickets

13,000,000 to one: The odds of winning

£96,000: Price of his Range Rover Sport

£1m: What he won

£375,000: The cost of his house

£50,000: What he spent on holidays (to Mexico, Venice, Benidorm, Dubai, Spain, Florida)

£200,000: What he spent on property (that's three properties)

(Image: Peter Bolter/Wales on Sunday)

Matthew Evans

Former postman Matthew Evans left his winning ticket scrunched up in his pocket for three days before realising he had won £2.6m.

The 35-year-old from Barry, who won in July this year, only checked his lottery ticket when he went to buy another ticket for the following week.

“The girl behind the counter said she couldn’t give me the money and told me I’d have to ring Camelot,” he said.

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“I assumed there was a problem with the ticket, then I realised I must have won quite a lot of money.

“I went home to my parents and said: ‘I think I’ve won the lottery’. We checked and I had all six numbers. My dad had a safe, so we put the ticket straight in there.”

Bought breakfast for pals - then went to The Ashes

When he phoned Camelot, Matthew discovered he was the only winner and would receive £2.6m.

The next day, he went for breakfast with friends before going to watch The Ashes in Cardiff.

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“I bought the breakfasts and that’s when I told them,” he said. “They didn’t believe me at first.”

Matthew, who has had a Cardiff City season ticket for the last 18 years, had his cheque presentation at Cardiff City Stadium.

(Image: Richard Williams/Western Mail)

Bought his sister a new kitchen

As soon as his winnings were in the bank, Matthew took his sister Michelle, a mum-of-eight, shopping for a new kitchen and bought his dad a car.

He is now taking a “career break” while he decides what to do. After saving for a house deposit for years, he has bought a home in the Vale of Glamorgan.

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Matthew has been to the US for the National Football League, to Cyprus to watch Wales play football and paid for a box at Cardiff City Stadium.

Next year, he plans to take his mum to the Wimbledon final and his dad to the Monaco Grand Prix.

(Image: PA)

In numbers: The National Lottery

4,000: Number of millionaires and multi-millionaires created since November 1994

70%: Proportion of adults in the UK play the National Lottery on a regular basis

69%: Proportion of millionaire winners who move house

4.5: Number of cars bought by the average winner for themselves or immediate family

20: Number of cars bought by one winner

52%: Proportion hand in their notice after winning

7%: Percentage who set up their own business

3.4: Number of holidays a year taken by average winner

4%: Percentage who go for eight or more holidays a year

27%: Percentage who buy a dog after their win