Single dad cancer survivor wins £1m in lottery

Paul Harvey said he did not realise he had won the money for a whole week

A single parent who recently survived bowel cancer has won £1m on the lottery.

Paul Harvey from Attleborough, in Norfolk, said he did not realise he had won until a week after the EuroMillions draw.

The 51-year-old said he was planning to use the money to treat his two teenage children to their first holiday abroad together in Greece.

Mr Harvey added: "Life hasn't always been easy, but the kids mean the world to me, and they always come first."

The full-time dad, who received two years of treatment for bowel cancer, bought a ticket for the National Lottery draw on 4 July.

Mr Harvey said he had lived in Cyprus for 12 years when he was younger and wanted to take his children to that part of the world.

"We have never been away abroad together, and I would love to take them both to Greece," he said.

"But first, we need to get our passports!"

He said he was also planning on using the winnings to buy a Fiat 500 for his daughter, who was learning to drive.

Mr Harvey said he was "so proud of what the kids have achieved already in life"

Mr Harvey confessed he had not realised he won the money for a whole week, with The National Lottery urging him to check his account.

"I thought this must be a scam," he added.

"I read the email again and then Googled the National Lottery Line, where I saw the telephone numbers matched. It was then that I allowed myself to get much more excited."

Mr Harvey also planned to help his son and daughter as they neared the end of their full-time education

He won by matching the unique raffle code in the EuroMillions Millionaire Maker draw.

"It felt like forever waiting for the kids to get home from school so I could break the news," he said.

He filmed the moment he broke the news of his win to his son, with them both jumping around the kitchen, hugging.

Mr Harvey said: "This win gives us so many more options, but I want to take my time and do it right.

"It just doesn't seem real," he added.