West Sussex ex-Judo player and 5 neighbours win £1m Postcode Lottery pot

Chris Nicholls, 76, won a share of a £1m jackpot and says he can splash out on private healthcare to speed up double knee and hip ops. The grandad, of Selsey, West Sussex, said: “It’s the sort of thing you dream about, and you think it’s never going to happen. Now I can buy my wife two new hips and me two new knees.”

Chris and wife Anne, 76, are going to treat their family and complete house renovations after a ‘lucky’ move to the seaside town brought the pair newfound wealth.

He said: “It’s been a lucky move. If we stayed where we were we wouldn’t have had this winning postcode. It feels magic.” Chris shared the £1m prize with five neighbours in Selsey after PO20 9BA landed Postcode Lottery’s weekly Millionaire Street prize on Saturday, March 23.

Chris and four others living on the winning street pocketed £142,857 each. A sixth neighbour doubled their prize to a whopping £285,714, thanks to playing with two tickets.

The thrill seeker – who also used to race motorbikes - admitted his sporting past has taken its toll on his body and he’s ready to put his feet up after scoring the six-figure windfall.

Chris said: “I started Judo at 35-years-old, so I was a veteran when I started, and it does take its toll. Joint wear is a problem, particularly in the knees.

“And they used to have a saying which was ‘you don’t judge a judo player by the belt around his waist you judge them by the number of knee operations they’ve had.”

Chris, who used to run a Judo club with his friend, played competitively for over 20 years achieving the coveted black belt status in the late 80s.

He added: “My wife unfortunately is in the need of a couple of new hips so we might speed that up and go private, and we’ll give the family and the grandkids some and generally save the rest for a rainy day.

“This money means we could go private rather than the NHS, even though they’ve been really good so far.”

Chris, who is still working, has owned small removal and data management businesses throughout his life and still has a vested interest today. The couple moved to the street last April and they both admitted to feeling especially ‘lucky’ as their new postcode was drawn as the winner.

Chris said: “If you have a day like today in your life, it’s something you’re always going to remember. It doesn’t come every week. We’ve played Postcode Lottery for years with our last postcode and in our house before that as well.”

He added: “We’re getting to the end of our renovation work since we moved in 11 months ago and this will definitely help to finish of our house.”

The pensioners plan to celebrate their big win with their two sons – a judo coach and a physiotherapist - and their two granddaughters with a hotel stay and restaurant dinner.