National Lottery winner thought something had happened to her husband when he called to tell her about jackpot

Dimitris Kouimtsidis
Fri, 24 Apr 2026 20:41:24 +0000

A National Lottery winner thought something had happened to her husband when he called her to tell her they had scooped the jackpot.

The couple from Saddleworth, Greater Manchester, have described themselves as being "on top of the world" after winning £10,000 every month for an entire year.

Denby Sinclair, 58, a sales technician at a car body repair shop, decided to try his luck with a lucky dip on the Set for Life game after finding himself with some spare cash at the end of the month.

The gamble paid off handsomely when he matched five balls, securing him and his wife Sam a prize of £10,000 for 12 months.

The pair, who reside in Diggle, say their lives have been transformed by the windfall.

The moment of discovery came late at night, with Sam staying aboard their boat in Conwy when her husband made the life-changing find.

She said: "It had gone midnight, and Denby, who was back at home, had sent me a good night text.

"Five minutes later, he was calling me, and I was really concerned."

When he broke the news of their Set for Life success, Sam initially refused to believe it. "I honestly thought it was a joke," she said.

Only after receiving email confirmation did the reality sink in, leaving her completely speechless and unable to sleep as thoughts raced through her mind.

The couple, both qualified sailors, have wasted no time in drawing up an ambitious bucket list for each month of their prize-winning year.

At the very top of their priorities sits a long-held dream: skippering a vessel off the Greek coast, specifically near Crete.

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"This is something we've always dreamt of doing, and now we can," Sam explained.

The celebrations have already begun in earnest, with the Sinclairs sharing their good fortune generously.

They have given money to their children and treated friends to an evening out at their local restaurant, putting money behind the bar as a gesture of gratitude for their support.

Both Denby and Sam work in sales roles, though they have no immediate plans to leave their jobs.

Instead, the couple intend to undertake "serious planning" to facilitate an early retirement while enjoying what Denby described as "the champagne lifestyle" in the meantime.