A MUM-OF-SEVEN who lives near York has told how a £7.5 million lottery win changed her life.

Jane Cunninham, 54, was among the overnight millionaires who gathered at a special reception to mark 20 years of the National Lottery.

She was living in an end-of-terrace house in Whitby when her numbers came up in December 2008, and she has since moved to a farm just outside York, set in 18 acres of land, with her husband Mark, a stunt coordinator for TV's Heartbeat.

She said: "When I very first realised in that split second, the first thing I thought of was 'Oh my God I feel sick'.

"You would think I would be doing cartwheels and screaming from the rooftops. But I had this realisation that oh my God, my life as I know it is over and it is going to start again tomorrow - a totally different life. It is a rollercoaster of emotions."

Mrs Cunningham she and Mark had always "muddled through" but with so many children "it was certainly a struggle".

After she banked the cheque she splashed out on treats for herself and her family, including breast implants for her 24-year-old daughter.

She added: "I also popped out for coffee once and came back having bought a £1 million farm. I had this mad feeling and I impulse bought it. I don't know how I did it - that was my biggest impulse buy."

Mrs Cunningham tied the knot with her long-term fiance shortly after the win, and has also been able to help local charities and friends.

She said the most important thing her win bought her was "freedom".

The first National Lottery draw was on 19 November 1994, when seven winners matched all six numbers to win £839,254 each. The winners included York dad-of-three Ken Southwell, who said he had only meant to buy his ticket as a memento of the first draw. Mr Southwell, who died in 2006, had gone on to set up his own businesses and invested in property.

National Lottery organisers say it has raised more than £20 billion for good causes since its launch, although research has shown those who can least afford it are most likely to play and it has been described as a tax on the vulnerable and accused of exploiting the poor.