Father who grew up in council flat wins £2.5million Omaze mansion after entering draw without telling his wife or children – and instantly says he’ll put it on the market

A dad who grew up in a council estate has won a stunning £2.5 million home after entering the Omaze Million Pound House Draw without telling his wife and children.

Chris Milnes, 60, has snapped up the 5,000 sq ft new-build property near Poole, Dorset, and is now planning to sell the luxury home so he can become a multi-millionaire and give his children ‘the start in life can give that I never had’.

He and his wife Jules, 56, have lived in Pudsey, West Yorkshire, for seven years, where Pudsey Bear, the face of Omaze’s charity partner, BBC Children in Need, is named after.

The excited father-of-three, who also scooped a £100,000 cash prize, said: ‘Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would one day own a multi-million pound home.

‘I lived in a council flat in Leeds for much of my childhood – things like this don’t happen to people like me!

Chris Milnes (center right) and his wife Jules (center left) celebrate with two of their children Lucy (far left) and Esme (far right)

Chris has secured the 5,000 sq ft new build property near Poole, Dorset, and is now planning to sell the luxury home so he can become a multi-millionaire

Chris (pictured with his sister) grew up in a council house in Leeds and has been left ‘speechless’ after winning a £2.5million five-bedroom mansion

The house has a beautiful open living room and an impressive fireplace wall

‘When I got the call from Omaze to say I’d won something I thought, wow, a few thousand would be a treat right now – I never thought I’d have won a house worth more than a few million, it’s crazy!

‘It was a huge surprise for me, but an even bigger surprise for my wife because she didn’t even know I was participating.

‘To say she was shocked is an understatement, she was completely speechless.’

Chris had recently spoken to his wife Jules about downsizing, but after their huge windfall they have now put their financial worries behind them.

He continued: ‘We currently live in a rental house – and just last week we were talking about downsizing to keep our living costs down – but now everything has changed.

‘We’ve worked hard all our lives – and we’ve had to endure some challenging times over the years – but the future has never looked brighter after this win.

‘This house is absolutely beautiful – it looks like something out of Grand Designs – I keep expecting Kevin McCloud to pop his head around the corner and say hello.’

Chris, a salesman from Pudsey, West Yorkshire, plans to spend a ‘big holiday’ with his family in the three-storey house before putting it on the market later this year.

It has a beautiful open plan living area and an impressive fireplace wall.

The kitchen is equipped with a large central island, sofas and a breakfast table overlooking the garden – which opens onto a hardwood terrace.

Chris’s new master bedroom suite features a central headboard, fully fitted dressing room and spa-like bathroom with a freestanding bath

There are three further bedroom suites, each with built-in furniture and colour-themed shower rooms, as well as a cinema room

It has a beautiful open plan living area and an impressive fireplace wall

Chris’s new master bedroom suite features a central headboard, a fully fitted dressing room and a spa-like bathroom with a freestanding bath.

There are three further bedroom suites, each with built-in furniture and colour-themed shower rooms, as well as a cinema room.

The rainforest-inspired garden also has a hot tub and outdoor shower.

Chris said he had no plans to quit his job immediately after his life-changing win and said Jules, to whom he has been married for 23 years, would continue to work.

But the sporty dad said he would work on his tennis skills after his discharge.

He said: ‘I’m not going to retire immediately.

‘When I emailed my boss to tell him the news, he immediately called me to make sure I was staying to complete our latest project.

‘I think he was as relieved as he was very happy for me!

‘Once I’m done with the project I’m currently working on, I’ll finally retire. Then I have enough time to work on my backhand.

“My wife has worked her way up at the same company for the past 25 years and loves her job, so she will continue to work.

“So for now, we still get up and go to work in the morning, we just come home to a much nicer house.”

The rainforest-inspired garden also has a hot tub and outdoor shower

The kitchen is equipped with a large central island, sofas and a breakfast table overlooking the garden – which opens onto a hardwood terrace

Chris said he was thrilled the prize draw raised a whopping £3,150,000 for the BBC Children in need.

He added: ‘It’s such a lovely coincidence that we live in Pudsey and that the Omaze Draw has raised so much money for BBC Children in Need, with the face of the charity, Pudsey Bear, being named after the town!’

Chris has two children from a previous marriage, son Ollie, 29, who lives in Australia and daughter Lucy, 28, and Esmé, 23, who he shares with Jules.

And he said he would help their children get onto the property ladder before the couple buy a new home together in Yorkshire.

He added: “Winning this house has changed the lives of our entire family forever.

‘Not only will we be able to afford to buy us a new dream home, but we can now get all our children onto the property ladder.

“It means so much to be able to give them a start that we never had.

‘I’m a proud Yorkshireman and I love where we live so we’re going to buy somewhere nearby, it’s so exciting.

‘I play a lot of tennis, so at the top of my list is having my own tennis court in the backyard!’

Chris had recently spoken to his wife Jules about downsizing, but after their huge windfall they have now put their financial worries behind them (photo: the Omaze Million Pound House survey)

If Chris were to decide to rent it out, local estate agents estimate that the property could reach a long-term rental value of between £5,000 and £6,000 per month (pictured: a cinema room in the house)

‘My son lives in Australia and we have only seen him once in the last six years. Now we can go visit him whenever we want and fly them over in style. It’s just crazy!’

The amazing property is mortgage free and all stamp duty and legal costs are covered.

If Chris decided to rent it out, local estate agents estimate that the property could reach a long-term rental value of between £5,000 and £6,000 per month.

The town of Poole, known as a millionaire’s playground, is just eight miles away and offers further shopping, entertainment and leisure facilities.

James Oakes, Chief International Officer at Omaze, said: “Everyone at Omaze is delighted that Chris has won this beautiful home in Dorset while contributing to the £3,150,000 raised for the iconic BBC Children in Need.

“It’s going to make a huge difference to his whole family, which is just amazing.

‘Omaze gives people the chance to win amazing homes, like this beautiful home in Dorset, while also introducing charities to a huge new audience they wouldn’t otherwise reach – it’s a real win-win for both charities and participants.

“We are incredibly proud that the Omaze community has now raised more than £43 million for charities across the UK.”