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A WINNING Postcode Lottery player didn’t even know he had entered the competition before a £200,000 cheque knocked at his door.

Alison and Tim Browne, from Breaston, Derbyshire, were gobsmacked when they discovered the lucrative jackpot.

People's Postcode Lottery

Alison and Tim Browne, from Breaston, Derbyshire, plan on enjoying a luxury 40th wedding anniversary[/caption]

People's Postcode Lottery

The pair were gobsmacked to discover their £200,000 win[/caption]

The couple were one of three households who scooped the windfall in the Postcode Lottery Millionaire Street draw today.

But, Tim admitted he wasn’t even aware wife Alison have even entered the competition.

He said: “I can’t believe it. I’m just glad she didn’t phone to tell me the amount when I was driving!

“I didn’t even know she was doing People’s Postcode Lottery, to be honest.”

An overjoyed Alison added: “It’s a fantastic feeling and I can’t stop smiling. But we’re going to have a big, big party on the street.

“It’s wonderful. We’ve known George and Paul for over 30 years and we get on really, really well.

“It’s a lovely street, lovely neighbours, and a lovely place to live.

“I don’t know what to think. This is life-changing, it really is.”

The pair are plan to splurge the cash on a lavish holiday to celebrate their 40th anniversary.

And, they will finally be able to tick riding on the iconic Orient Express off their bucket-list.

Tim said: “It means everything. We always wanted to do the train trip across the Rockies in Canada and also the Orient Express.

“There’s lots of trips that we’ve never done and have never been able to do. And now we’ll be able to do them and that’s fantastic.”

Alison, a freelance school music exam coordinator, said: “We’ve been married 43 years now, but our 40-year anniversary fell during lockdown so we weren’t able to celebrate properly. Now we can do that.”

The mum-of-two said their jackpot has seen her drop half a stone within a week due to lack of sleep.

“But it’s good! You have dreams that you have won lots of money, but then you wake up and think, ‘Damn, it’s a dream’,” she added.

“This is how I felt every night this week when I managed to get to sleep at 3am. Then I woke up and thought, ‘No, it’s not a dream!’

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think we would win this much.”

The couple share a son Matthew, who is autistic, and hailed the win for “the security this will bring him”.

Meanwhile, older son James, joked: “I’ll be happy with a pint in Spoons. It’s £6 a pint!”

Tim revealed he also dreams of welcoming a new puppy into the family to keep Pointer Finlay company.

The musician told how a new Gore-Tex waterproof jacket wouldn’t go a miss either.

Alison laughed: “If we get another dog we’ll need a house with a bigger garden.

“My son and daughter-in-law don’t want us to get another dog because they have to look after them if we go away.

“We’re all going away to Wales on holiday together next week so we can celebrate there.”

It comes as another lucky player who scooped a life-changing Postcode Lottery prize refused to believe she had won – until a key sign revealed it was fate.

Meanwhile, another punter doubled their £200,000 Postcode Lottery win by using a clever trick – make sure you don’t miss out.

Jo Deighton from Shoreham, West Sussex, was gobsmacked when she scooped nearly an eye-watering quarter of a million pounds.

Elsewhere, one Brit who bagged a £410,000 jackpot told how no one believed her – not even her husband.

Leyla Eaton’s jaw dropped after discovering she’d scooped the eye-watering prize.

The mum-of-two entered when she was struck by a “strong feeling” a huge windfall was coming her way.

People's Postcode Lottery

The couple were one of three households who scooped the windfall in the Postcode Lottery Millionaire Street draw today[/caption]

AN URGENT hunt for two teenage girls who have gone missing from Leeds has been launched by cops.

Charlotte Hewitt, aged 14, and Daisy Bo Collins, aged 13, were both reported missing yesterday morning with concerns for their welfare.

Cops are continuing to carry out extensive enquiries to find them and believe they may have travelled out of the West Yorkshire area.

Charlotte is described as 5ft 2ins tall, slim build, with brown wavy shoulder length hair.

Daisy is described as 5ft 3ins tall, medium build, with long light brown hair and dark blue eyes.

Anyone who has seen the girls, either together or separately, or who has any information that could help to locate them is asked to contact Leeds District CID via 101 quoting log 213 of October 18 or online via www.westyorkshire.police.uk/livechat.

A SIMPLE tool could help to reveal if state pension households are being underpaid – and it’s totally free and takes just a few minutes.

A series of government blunders mean that hundreds of thousands of people have been paid less state pension than they should have.

Alamy

A tool can help you find out if you have been underpaid your state pension[/caption]

The mistakes disproportionately impact women, but that doesn’t mean that’s the only group affected.

Depending on why your pension was underpaid, you might get the backdated payments automatically, or you might have to apply.

It’s possible that you fall into more than one category, as there is some overlap, so you may need to follow a couple of different processes to get what you’re owed.

We’ve put together a full list of reasons you could be owed backdated state pension payments worth £10,000s.

LCP has developed an online tool to help people understand what state pension they are entitled to inherit on top of their own state pension here.

A tool previously launched by the company to help married women check for underpayments had over one million visits.

You will need to be prepared to answer some questions about your age and marital status, as well as how much money you currently receive in state pension.

If you’re using the married woman’s calculator, you will also need to have information about your husband’s pension to hand.

If it turns out that your state pension is being underpaid because of an error, it’s worth contacting either the DWP or the Pensions Service.

Steve Webb, partner at LCP and former Pensions Minister, said: “The department needs to launch an urgent investigation into the scale of this problem.”

The DWP also has a tool to help those receiving the new state pension assess their eligibility for inherited state pension amounts on the government website.

There is also a guide on inheriting or increasing a state pension on the gov’s site.

Calculate your state pension payments

To qualify for the new state pension, you need to have paid enough National Insurance (NI) contributions or credits.

You need at least ten years on your record to get any payments at all. To get the full amount, you usually need 35 years’ worth of contributions.

If you have gaps on your record, you can choose to buy the missing years to boost your state pension payments.

To find out whether you’re on track to get the full state pension, you can check your forecast on gov.uk.

You’ll need to sign in through the government gateway. If you’ve already got an account, use those details, otherwise you might need to set one up.

Everyone reaching retirement age now can only qualify for the new state pension, which follows the rules outlined above.

But if you are either a man who was born before 6 April 1951 or a woman who was born before 6 April 1953, you’ll get something called the basic state pension, and you might also get additional state pension.

You can read more about the basic state pension on the government’s website.

SIR Alex Ferguson was all smiles as he snubbed Man Utd’s clash with Brentford in favour of a trip down memory lane.

The legendary Red Devils boss was removed from his post as a club ambassador earlier this week.

PA

Sir Alex Ferguson was spotted in the stands watching Celtic vs Aberdeen on Saturday[/caption]

PA

He was earlier this week removed from an ambassador role at Man Utd[/caption]

Fergie loses out on his £2.16m-per-year paycheque following his surprise axe.

The 82-year-old was spotted on Saturday taking in Celtic‘s Scottish Premiership clash with Aberdeen at Celtic Park.

Ferguson grew up in Glasgow and famously managed Aberdeen between 1978 and 1986.

The ex-United boss was spotted beaming in the stands in the build-up to the game.

His axing from his ambassadorial role is said to have been accepted amicably during a meeting with fellow execs.

Ferguson is understood to be maintaining his position as a non-executive member of the board.

He is also said to be welcome at any United games going forward, as has been the case since his departure as manager in 2013.

Current United boss Erik ten Hag is fighting for his job following a dismal start to the season.

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Sir Alex has been seen regularly in the stands at the Theatre of Dreams this campaign.

Asked about Ferguson leaving his ambassador role, Ten Hag said: “Of course, it has an impact on us.

“Sir Alex is Manchester United, he built Manchester United to where the club is now, it impacts us.

“[He] wants to see a winning Manchester United.

“I’m sure he’s always available for every advice, we will need him as we did in the last two and a half years.”

Going into Saturday’s showdown with Brentford, Man Utd have won just two of seven league games this season.

The Dutchman continued: “We have a mountain to climb.

“But that is top football and sometimes you have to face challenges — sometimes it goes up, sometimes it goes down.

“I am sure we will make it a success as we did the last two seasons.

“We are in a direction, underneath I see good things.”

"Them Kelce boys really can sleep anywhere 😭😭🤣." one fan commented under the post on X, while the account for the "New Heights" podcast joked, "Caught in 4K 😭😂."

MICHAEL VAN GERWEN went on a sightseeing tour of Prague before taking to the oche at the Czech Darts Open.

The three-time world champion is in action against Krzysztof Ratajski tonight.

Instagram / @mvg180

Michael van Gerwen and wife Daphne went sightseeing in Prague[/caption]

Instagram / @mvg180

MVG strolled around the capital city[/caption]

Instagram / @mvg180

He plays in the Czech Darts Open tonight[/caption]

Instagram / @mvg180

He took stunning snaps of the Old Town Square[/caption]

But Van Gerwen spent Friday being a tourist in Prague as he swapped check outs for the Czech Republic.

He was joined by his wife Daphne and the couple posted a loved-up selfie on Instagram.

Van Gerwen also shared snaps of the city’s famous Old Town Square and another of him taking in the stunning architecture.

The Dutchman was a fan of the Astronomical Clock, which was installed in 1410 and is the oldest one in the world still working.

MGV wrote: “Had some time to explore beautiful Prague before tonight’s Czech Darts Open.

“Checked out the Astronomical Clock and even went on an underground tour! Now, it’s time to switch focus back to darts.

“Let’s get ready for tonight.”

Victory in Prague will see him pocket £175,000.

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Van Gerwen and Daphne have been together since 2008 and they tied the knot ten years ago.

The couple’s wedding took place in their native Holland, in the same year the darts legend secured his first title at Ally Pally.

They have two kids Zoe, 7, and Mike, 4.

NOA-LYNN VAN LEUVEN will become the first transgender player to compete at the World Darts Championship.

The Dutch star won the 21st PDC Women’s Series in Leicester on Saturday.

Rex

Noa-Lynn van Leuven will go to the Ally Pally after a superb run[/caption]

It means that Van Leuven has guaranteed a place in the draw for the Alexandra Palace in December after her fourth title of the year. 

Van Leuven delivered an impressive day of results with wins over four world champions. 

She beat Trina Gulliver 4-2, Mikuru Suzuki 4-1 and Lisa Ashton 5-4 en route to the final before an impressive 5-3 victory over Beau Greaves.

That included a stunning average of 109.64. 

Van Leuven’s appearance at the Ally Pally showpiece will complete a rollercoaster year for the 28-year-old.

Amid consistent success at the oche, she says she’s been bullied at every tournament and “gone through hell”.

Van Leuven even had to face claims she transitioned to try to gain an advantage.

She labelled such allegations “totally untrue” and explained how hurtful the suggestion was.

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Van Leuven was particularly impressive in the final vs Beau Greaves[/caption]

Van Leuven told Dutch TV show Sophie & Jeroen: “I have never seen anyone who has gone through the years of misery of transition only to perform better afterwards.”

She passed rigorous tests to first play in women’s darts two years ago.

And she soon established herself, reaching the quarter-finals of events 13 and 14, losing to Greaves and Laura Turner respectively.

Then in 2023 Van Leuven was the first trans woman ever to compete in a televised PDC tournament.

Greaves whitewashed her 4-0 in that Women’s World Matchplay first-round clash.

But Van Leuven’s results have improved massively this year, including victory on her debut at event six of the PDC Challenge Tour series.

Now she’s set for the biggest darts stage of them all in two months’ time.

Van Leuven has stressed she just wants to be seen and treated as any other athlete.

She said: “All we want is to be ourselves. As trans people, we want to be respected.

“I’m Noa-Lynn, I’m a woman and I just want to do what I love to do and happen to be good at, and that’s darts.”

But she told Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant of one of her worst experiences – when everyone in a room started clapping after she lost.

She added: “I felt very small… I really had to withdraw for a while. I don’t wish anyone the hell I went through.”

NICOLE Scherzinger has wowed fans with her latest leotard look.

The 46-year-old Sunset Boulevard star, known for her jaw-dropping bikini body, wore the daring dance ensemble for Interview Magazine.

Interview Magazine

Interview Magazine

Interview Magazine

Profiling her Broadway debut as the iconic Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard this month, the former Masked Singer judge was pictured doing the splits.

Wearing a sheer black thong leotard, she accessorised the outfit with fishnet tights and thigh-high stiletto boots, showing off her gym-honed body with pride.

The former X Factor judge has been busy behind the scenes preparing for her Broadway debut, and her enviable athletic physique is the result of a disciplined gym schedule.

The Sunset Boulevard story is based on the 1950 film of the same title and sees Norma cross paths with a young screenwriter named Joe Gillis, as she spots the opportunity to return to the big screen once more.

With both romance and tragedy to follow in the role, Nicole told Interview Magazine: “I feel like my entire life has been preparing me for this role and for this moment.”

With the interviewer calling her role a ‘dazzling triumph’ Nicole admits she was initially insulted when director Jamie Lloyd first discussed the idea.

She revealed: “He said, “I’ve got this amazing idea. I had this dream and it’s for you to play Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard.”

She continued admitting to only ever having seen the film: “I was like, “That’s your big idea? That’s how you see me? As a strange, old, faded, discarded movie star?’”

“I think my reaction was like, ‘Honey, I still look good under bright lights.'”

He said: “Can I send you the script?” I’m thinking, “Yeah, I guess you could send it, but whatever. I’ve seen the film.” He said, “Don’t think about the film. Read the script. It’s different.” 

The multi-award-winning songstress has clearly been keeping both her body and voice in shape for her role, with a video posted to her Instagram account showing Andrew Lloyd-Webber praising the star .

In the video he can be heard saying: “I’ve really got to say it, I’ll just say it again: It’s the best performance of anything I’ve ever had.”

When Nicole responds: “I don’t know about that Andrew, but we’ll get there,” Andrew says: “I do. I do know what I’m talking about here, for once in my life.”

Fans rushed to the comments with some calling it “iconic,” and one saying: “You’re incredible!”

Another said: “You’re such a perfectionist sis! When the Lord says that you gotta take it.”

Nicole is currently engaged to her fiancé Thom Evans.

The singer and rugby star got engaged in June 2023 with hopes of starting a family soon after they tie the knot.

As one of THR's 2024 Most Powerful Women in International TV, Moore has a lot to say about how broadcasters can improve DEI in front and behind the camera.

Brian Cox voices Santa in Simon Otto's feature directing debut, which tells overlapping stories about children at Yuletide in a quaint seaside town.