She Told Everyone About Her £10,000 Win… Except Her Partner

Michelle had told her friends. She'd told people at work. She'd even told her students. But there was one person who still had absolutely no idea she'd won £10,000, her partner. With a house move hanging over the family and months of worrying about what came next, Michelle's incredible win couldn't have arrived at a better time.

Everyone Knew… Except Him

Most people win £10,000 and immediately tell their partner.

Michelle took a slightly different approach.

She told pretty much everyone else first.

"I've told everybody, but I haven't told my partner."

Her partner works away during the week in the Lake District and had left for work at around 4am.

Meanwhile, Michelle had been sitting on a fairly significant secret.

She'd told friends.

People at the college where she works.

Even some of her students.

But not him.

Her plan?

Send him a screenshot later that day with a pretty important message.

"We can move."

And apparently there was another reason for keeping quiet.

"I didn't want him telling me what I need to do with it, because I'll just get stubborn and go and spend it."

Fair enough.

She'd even considered asking us to write £5,000 on the giant cheque so she could keep the other half quiet.

We respect the planning.

10 of Tickets. One £10,000 Scratch.

Michelle had spent £10 on 20 tickets for the 49p Cash Splash Instant Chaos game.

She was staying at her friend Nicole's after a movie night when she decided to scratch them.

At the time, they were doing something completely ordinary.

Looking online for shoes for Nicole's little boy.

Then Michelle started scratching.

49p.

49p.

49p.

And then...

£10,000.

"I was like, 'What the hell?'"

Michelle ran straight into Nicole's bedroom.

Nicole initially assumed the emergency had something to do with the shoes they'd been looking at.

It did not.

"I didn't know what to do. I didn't know who to tell, whether to shout, scream or keep it to myself."

Michelle showed her the screen.

Suddenly, the shoes weren't particularly important anymore.

"Is It Real?"

There was one slight problem.

Michelle won on a weekend.

That meant she had to wait until Monday for the call confirming everything.

Naturally, she spent the weekend doing what any completely calm £10,000 winner would do.

Checking it repeatedly.

"Is it real? Is it real?"

She checked the game.

Then checked again.

Took screenshots.

Then took a few more screenshots just in case.

"I screenshot it about ten times."

It was definitely there.

But until that phone call came, it still didn't quite feel real.

"We Can Move"

As exciting as the win was, its timing meant even more.

Michelle and her family have lived in the same rented home for around 15 years.

It's the house her children have grown up in.

Then their landlord decided to sell.

Suddenly, the family had to move.

With rental prices now significantly higher than when they first moved in, Michelle had spent months wondering how they were going to manage it.

"I've had this whole house thing hanging over my head for a couple of months."

The family had already started saving whatever they could towards the move.

But £10,000 changed everything.

"It's just going to be so much easier to put a deposit down somewhere and to move."

Some of the money can also go towards reducing debts and easing the financial pressure that comes with a major move.

"Overall, life's just going to be easier."

Making a Big Change a Little Easier

Finding somewhere new isn't just about money.

Michelle's youngest child has SEND and finds significant changes difficult.

After 15 years in the same family home, moving was always going to be a big adjustment.

The win means Michelle can focus more on making that transition as smooth as possible, rather than constantly worrying about how they're going to afford everything.

"It will just help so much for things to be smoother and easier to manage, and not have to stress and worry about it."

For a win to arrive exactly when the family needed some breathing room?

Pretty incredible timing.

A Weekend to Remember

As if the £10,000 wasn't enough, Michelle somehow found herself in the middle of an unbelievable run of wins.

Alongside the £10,000, she picked up several other prizes across Chaotic games and lives, taking her total winnings to around £12,000 over the weekend.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be £10K up in one weekend."

Not a bad couple of days.

Walking Around With a £10,000 Secret

Just over an hour after discovering she'd won £10,000, Michelle found herself walking around a local summer fête trying to act completely normal.

"I was walking around there thinking, 'I've got £10K. What the hell?'"

Then an elderly lady approached her selling raffle tickets.

Michelle figured she'd probably used up enough luck for one day.

She bought some anyway.

You never know.

Why Chaotic?

Michelle has tried other competition sites before, but says the community around Chaotic is what makes it different.

For her, it's not just about entering competitions.

It's Games Night.

The lives.

The freebies.

And having something fun to switch off with after work or a difficult day with the kids.

"I think this is more fun, more enjoyable. There's more give back."

But there's another part that means even more to her.

The work Chaotic does with the SEND community.

As a parent of a SEND child herself, Michelle says that commitment is something she genuinely notices.

"I can see how much you are committed to that cause, and I think that's what rings true in Chaotic compared to other sites."

Her Advice? Keep It Fun

After a weekend like Michelle's, it's easy to focus on the size of the wins.

But her advice is simple.

"Play within your means. Don't chase it. Have fun with it."

For Michelle, the smaller wins, free games, lives and community have always been part of the experience.

The £10,000?

That was the part she never expected.

"Keep playing, be sensible and just enjoy it. Have fun with it."

From 9p to £10,000

At Chaotic HQ, it was finally time to make everything official.

Michelle opened her Chaotic account.

Her wallet had around 9p sitting in it.

Then £10,000 was added.

"What the hell?"

After staring at the balance for a moment, it was time to withdraw it.

A few final checks.

A nervous wait.

Then the payment notification arrived.

£10,000.

In her bank account.

For real.

"Oh my God. It's real now."

After months of worrying about moving, saving whatever she could and wondering how the family would manage, there was suddenly a lot more breathing room.

A new home.

Less financial pressure.

And a much smoother move for the children.

There was just one final thing left to do.

Tell the one person who still didn't know.

Her partner.

We would have loved to see his face.

From everyone at Chaotic, congratulations again to Michelle on her incredible £10,000 win.