This is absolutely the best present I could ever have

Carol Mitchell

The game card she got with it proved a winner.

Mrs Mitchell, 50, whose husband has now quit his job as a steel contractor, joked she was going to ask her boss for the 27p he owed her for the stamp.

"I was at work with my boss, who sends quite a lot of personal letters but he did not have a stamp and I didn't have any either.

"I told him that I needed some stamps for my Christmas cards anyway and I would get them on my way back from lunch.

"When I opened the game card I thought 'yeah, right' and assumed I would be entered in a draw with lots of other people but when it was later confirmed, it was brilliant.

'Continue working'

"My boss knows better than to ask for any of the money, in fact he hasn't paid me for his stamp yet so I might ask for that."

Mrs Mitchell, who was presented with her cheque at the Royal Mail's main sorting office in Gateshead on Wednesday, said she intended to continue her job where she has worked for 18 years.

Her husband Ed, 47, said he has given up his job in the wake of the win.

Mrs Mitchell's card revealed the winning symbol

Mrs Mitchell, whose birthday falls on Christmas Day said: "I've been off work this week but I will be returning on Monday and then we will get Christmas over and into January before we decide what to do."

"This is absolutely the best present I could ever have."

Mrs Mitchell told how she broke the news to her husband when he was due to meet her near Newcastle Civic Centre for a drink after work.

She told him to meet her at the office instead and after hearing of the windfall he needed a drink of water and a sit down.

The couple, who have been married five years, now intend to return to Rome for a luxury holiday after briefly visiting the eternal city during a cruise three years ago.

Mrs Mitchell, who has a daughter and two granddaughters, added: "It's just a lot of money and a really nice cushion but we have not taken it in yet."

The Royal Mail national promotion is still running with a further �500,000 of prizes still up for grabs.