Couple's dreams take flight after £2.2m lottery win

A couple have said they plan to buy a plane and start their own businesses after winning more than £2 million on the National Lottery.

Peter Occardi, 48, said he now annoys his wife Claire, 44, by referring to her as "Rodney" after the Only Fools And Horses TV character and the show's much-repeated line about millionaires.

Design engineer Mr Occardi said: "I've started calling her Rodney, which I don't think she appreciates - 'this time tomorrow, Rodney, we'll be millionaires'.

"It's not sunk in, it really hasn't. It's quite a life-changing amount, as the saying goes."

Mr and Mrs Occardi, from Skipton, North Yorkshire, won £2,237,284 playing the lottery online.

They said they were sat in their bedroom feeding their two-year-old son when they discovered their fortune and later celebrated with jacket potatoes and cheese.

They returned to the Devonshire Arms at Bolton Abbey - where they met in 2010 - to celebrate their win and said a small plane was more of a priority than fancy cars.

Mr Occardi said: "On first glance at my phone I thought we'd won just over £2,000, but I looked again and noticed there were too many digits.

"'What's wrong?' Claire asked, as all of the colour drained from my face.

"I handed her the phone and, still shaking, said 'we've not won £25, we've won £2 million'.

"We both couldn't believe our eyes and were convinced that it was a joke or some kind of mistake."

Mr Occardi said the money will mean they can both set up businesses.

He said: "We're both quite driven individuals and will always want to work in some capacity.

"Claire really wants to go into property and business coaching and I've always wanted to set up my own manufacturing business, and now I can.

"Our win also means that we don't have to worry about providing for our son, we can provide him with the best possible upbringing and can look at investing in a bigger house with a garden for him to enjoy as he grows up."

Marketing consultant Mrs Occardi said: "We still didn't believe it, so we carried on as normal. Peter went to work and I carried on working at home. We didn't even have an exciting tea, I made us jacket potatoes and cheese."

The winning Lotto numbers on September 16 were 12, 14, 21, 22, 37 and 43, and the bonus ball was 36.