LOTTERY millionaire Neil Chester says losing his job is the best thing that had ever happened to him. The 31-year-old Guernseyman told the Guernsey Press yesterday that if he had not lost his job at investment firm FRM he would not have moved to the UK and bought his £8.5m. Lucky Dip ticket.

The former IT engineer has already ticked off one item on his shopping list.

Mr Chester and his wife, Kate, 30, who have been married for nine years, have made an offer on a luxury family home in Kent.

‘Next, we are going to replace our clapped-out old Chrysler,’ said the father of four.

Money had been so tight the couple lived apart for five months.

Then fewer than six weeks ago the IT consultant lost his job and feared being unable to support his three sons – aged five, eight and 10 – and 15-month-old daughter.

‘If I hadn’t been made redundant this would never have happened. This has been a terrible year for us and all of a sudden it looks better.

‘We started renovating our house and moved into a winter let but once we had started work it was obvious that it would be timely and costly.

‘When it came round to Easter the house was nowhere near ready so Kate and the kids moved into her dad’s place in Margate.’

Work on the house continued while he moved into his mum’s spare bedroom in Guernsey.

‘I kept going back and forth, almost every weekend, but it was very expensive.’

When offered redundancy, he decided to take it and join his family in Kent, where Mrs Chester was brought up.

‘We decided the best thing was to sell the house and buy a place in the UK,’ he said.

Mr Chester checked his ticket in a corner shop when he returned to Margate after two job interviews in London on Friday.

‘The ticket read: ﾓcontact Camelot, you’ve wonﾔ then I suddenly realised my numbers had come up.

‘I double-checked and triple-checked the ticket, but at first I didn’t realise how much.

‘I read that as £850,000 on the ticket and thought ﾓwell, I’m not a millionaire but that’s good enough for meﾔ.

‘It wasn’t until a few seconds later that I realised it was actually £8.5m. I had won.

‘I ran home and told Kate, got her to check the ticket, then gave her a big kiss,’ he said.

He said his millionaire status had not yet sunk in.

‘Kate and I keep expecting Ant and Dec to jump out and tell us it’s a set-up.

‘I sat down with our eldest two on Sunday and explained to them what had happened. Our 10-year-old asked if we could buy a private jet but when I explained further he said he would settle for a Lamborghini,’ said Mr Chester.

The couple will not be returning to live in Guernsey but he said he would be coming back to see friends and family.

He said his life had taken a complete change in direction.

‘Our plans now are to enjoy life and fulfil our dreams.

‘I am going to enjoy spending time with my family and not going to work.

‘We haven’t ever taken the children abroad on holiday so we are ecstatic that we are now able to.’

He said one of the first things on the list would be a trip to Disneyland Paris.

He and his wife will also finally be able to afford a honeymoon.

* His lucky numbers were 11, 24, 26, 35, 39 and 40.