YOUNG South Wales valleys mum Katie Smythe is celebrating after winning a life-changing £1 million on The National Lottery’s Merry Millionaire Scratchcard.

Katie, 25, who lives with partner Nicky Butler, 26, and their three children, aged five, four and one in a rented terraced house in Hengoed, scooped the Merry Millionaire Scratchcard jackpot in a Blackwood corner shop.

The childhood sweethearts had just £85 in their account when Katie bought a Merry Millionaire Scratchcard from the local Spar on Thursday.

They said they had not even had enough money to pay their Sky TV bill this month.

But if it hadn’t been for her best friend, who was with her when she bought the scratchcard, Katie would have unwittingly thrown away her fortune.

Katie explained: “I was in the shop and decided to play the Scratchcard I had just bought. Even though I unveiled the jackpot number 25 which was worth £1m it didn’t sink in and I just kept on until I revealed all the other numbers.

“I got to the end and was just about the throw it away when my friend screamed ‘look what you’ve won’ and I just stared at it in disbelief.

“I rang Nicky from the shop, but he didn’t believe me. He wouldn’t even believe it when the shop assistant assured him I’d won. He only believed me when I got back to the house and showed him the card.”

Katie added: “I can honestly say that this is what dreams are made of. We have literally gone from having absolutely nothing to being able to buy whatever we want. It feels a little bit scary – but so very good all at the same time.”

The couple plan to move out of their rented three-bedroom terraced house and buy a home of their own, buy a couple of cars once Katie has passed her driving test, take their extended family on holiday to Disney Land – and get married.

“Nicky proposed to me a while ago, but we just haven’t been able to afford a wedding. Now, we’ll be able to have a wedding I could only ever have dreamed of,” added Katie.

“And what a Christmas we’ll all have. We’re a large and very close-knit family and we love our own company. We celebrated the win with two family parties and I can only think that Christmas this year will be such a special one for all of us now.”

Katie bought her winning Merry Millionaire Scratchcard in the Spar shop in High Street, Fleur de Lys, Blackwood.