Wrexham fan to live like Hollywood owners after £3m win

Richard Baker says the win has changed his family's life

A Wrexham football fan says he will be living like Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney after winning a £3m prize, which includes a house and £500,000 in cash.

Richard Baker, 58, and his daughter Alicia, 17, were getting ready to watch Wrexham play on 3 October when they got the call that a £25 Omaze ticket had won them the grand prize.

Mr Baker said: "I was already hoping for a win that night, but it turned out to be the biggest win of my life - I became a multimillionaire."

The four-bedroom house is located in The New Forest near Lymington in southern England and includes an acre of land, swimming pool, yoga studio and sauna pod.

Mr Baker works as a process technologist, while his wife Yannick, 54, is a languages school teacher, and their daughter is studying for her A-levels.

He said: "We're normal people with normal jobs - and now we're going to be living like Hollywood superstars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

"Being a Wrexham and Man United fan, I can't say I'm that used to winning at the moment," he said.

Richard Baker said his win is the biggest one in Wrexham since the promotion to the Championship

"This is the biggest win in Wrexham since we got promoted to the Championship."

To celebrate, he took his daughter straight to a Wrexham football match that evening, and said: "We got a draw at the football, but we'd already won big that day, so I was still more than happy.

"I'll be inviting Ryan and Rob round for a cuppa - my new place is certainly fit for Hollywood superstars."

The house is worth £3m

Mr Baker said: "We've lived in the same house for over 25 years, we've been desperate for more space and a proper garden, so this is a dream come true."

He was born in the city and has lived in the area his whole life.

"Ryan Reynolds has a house just a few miles from where we live at the moment, and now we have a house that's worth more than his - it all feels very surreal and like something from a Hollywood script," he added.

Mr Baker said: "This house is absolutely stunning, the garden, the pool, the layout - it's just incredible"

He said his wife has "only done yoga a few times" but with their own studio "she'll be an expert in no time".

"The garden is so huge - I think it might be bigger than the Wrexham football pitch," he said.

Mr Baker said the win was "truly life changing" because "we can think about retiring and spending more time together as a family".

He added: "It doesn't just change things for me and my wife but for the future of my daughter too - which is the most important thing."

The house is mortgage-free, with all stamp duty and legal fees covered.

They can either live in the house and use the cash prize to run it, which Omaze said would last "for many years".

Or they could rent it out which could bring in a monthly income of about £3,000.

The win also raised £1,000,000 for Teenage Cancer Trust.