Two former Gwent miners celebrated winning a massive £11.5 million on the National Lottery in style at a champagne Press conference.
They say they cannot believe their luck, and didn't even realise they had scooped Wales' second-largest win until the day after the draw.
Friends of 40 years from Crumlin, John Ackerman, 63, and John Stinchcombe, 59, don't normally play the Wednesday lottery, but Mr Ackerman's wife, Pearl, 62, persuaded them to buy a ticket because it was a double rollover.
Mr Ackerman said today: "Pearl nagged me to get a ticket because she'd heard on the radio that it was a big rollover I'm glad she did now!
"After checking the numbers on Teletext on Thursday morning, I initially thought we'd won £50, so I went to Woolworths on Blackwood High Street where I bought the ticket to claim the money there.
"They told me that the prize was too big for them to distribute.
It was only then that I realised we'd won the jackpot.
"I really just didn't believe it. I rang John straightaway, and he didn't believe me either!"
Mr Stinchcombe added: "I've led a very happy life without much money and have never really dreamed of winning the lottery. It's just unbelievable."
The winning numbers were 7, 17, 27, 30, 33 and 39. The bonus number was 6.
Both men are still waiting for the news to sink in that they are millionaires, and say they have no idea what to spend the money on yet.
The two friends lived next to each other in the same street in Crumlin for years until Mr Stinchcombe and his partner moved to another street nearby just ten days before the big win.
Mr and Mrs Ackerman plan to stay in their terrace house, despite their new-found fortune. Mrs Ackerman says that she will not be giving up her job as a domestic assistant in a local nursing home.
She added: "This is the house we worked for years to pay for. I'm not going to leave it now.
"We've worked very hard to get it just how we want it and we're very happy here.
"I also love my job, and have already been back since the win everyone there is really pleased for us and all the residents have been giving me their congratulations."
Mr Ackerman has two children and two grandchildren, and Mr Stinchcombe has two children and four grandchildren, and lives with his partner, Julie, 53, a teaching assistant.
Both men worked at the Celynen pits in Crumlin before retiring. They have been playing the lottery together since the launch, sharing three lines of numbers every weekend.
First published on South Wales Argus |website 1/8/2006.