Plasterer Paul Chollerton choked back tears as he was told about the prize and said he was going to splash the cash on looking after his mum with dementia and a cruise for his son.

And despite the massive win, Paul, from County Durham, admitted that for now his life wasn’t going to change too much - promising his boss at ASC Plasterers Ltd that he wasn’t going to quit, and planning a new kitchen and roof for his home instead of a big move.

Paul was still in his pyjamas when he was surprised first thing in the morning by BOTB presenter Christian Williams, knocking on his door to break the good news.

In a surprise that just kept on getting better, Christian first revealed Paul had won a Volkswagen GTI before reeling off the list of goodies, including a Porsche Cayenne GTS and £100,000 in cash.

Amid stunned “wows” from the 54-year-old, he was also told he had won a new £800,000 house in Winchester.

“There are no words to describe this feeling, I am lost for words,” said Paul as he celebrated the win with his brother Simon, who’d helped Christian spring the epic reveal.

“I had a feeling and always hoped something good might be around the corner for me, but I never in a million years dreamed it would be this good.”

Paul said he had always enjoyed work but never really had much extra income and was now coming to terms with what the win would mean.

“I have always wanted to take my son on a cruise, one of the best ones, as it has just been me and him for the last 12 years but I couldn’t afford it. Now I can,” he said.

Amid the excitement, Paul had to wake 17-year-old Elliott, who was still asleep and couldn’t believe it when he saw his dad with the giant cheque.

“I just had to keep repeating it is real while he kept asking “what is going on?” It was surreal to say the least.”

The next stop was a visit to Paul’s mum, who has dementia, to tell her the good news.

“She is in a care home, but she is still aware of some things and when I told her she started crying and this huge smile erupted. It was so lovely to see it bring her such sheer joy,” he added.

“She raised me and my brother alone and was on benefits, so didn’t have much when it came to material things, but she filled our house with love and would have given her last penny to anyone in need, so I am glad this win will help me to make sure she is looked after and treated to something special too.”

Paul, who was in the army with his brother in the 1980s and 1990s and served in Northern Ireland, said he was happy with his plasterer’s van and his home of 43 years, so at the moment he was inclined to take the cash alternatives to the prizes which are offered by BOTB.

“I might take some time to get used to all this but the best thing I did was to just celebrate with a really lovely cup of tea.”

Christian said it was one of his favourite surprises to date and that it was a real privilege to be able to be a part of surprising a person as lovely as Paul and to see how much joy it brought to the whole family. 

“It was actually a lot of fun to be able to say ‘and that’s not all’ and just see the increasing wonder and delight as we revealed the next part of this £1million package,” added Christian.

“Paul is just a very humble guy but with lots of dreams, like all of us, and so glad we have been able to hand over this prize that will be genuinely life-changing in ways that make a difference to him. And that seems all about making life better for the people he loves.”