Woman won $2.5 million house on her birthday

By Ed Cullinane via SWNS

A mom won a £2 million ($2.5 million) house in a prize draw on her birthday.

Eliza Yahioglu discovered she'd scooped the four-bed hillside farmhouse and £100k ($127k) in cash the day she turned 56.

The mother-of-two became the latest person to win the Omaze Million Pound House Draw - with a ticket costing £25 ($31).

Her new house is in Yorkshire, England - where she grew up before living working in London for 40 years.

She had been on a family vacation with her husband of 30 years, Gokhan, her son Carl, 24, and daughter Leyla, 21 celebrating her birthday when she heard the news.

The house comes mortgage free, with all stamp duty and legal fees covered, meaning Eliza is free to either live in the house, rent it out or sell it.

She said: “It was actually my birthday the day we found out I’d won - so we’d gone abroad to celebrate.

"We were out having drinks with friends when the doorbell app on my husband’s phone buzzed

''I actually moaned at him for picking up the phone and being anti-social!

"I'm glad he did as we all immediately recognized the face smiling back at us as Jo the Omaze presenter from the TV ads - that’s when we thought we might have won something - either that or someone is pulling a very elaborate hoax!

“Luckily our son was home to answer the door so she could confirm the good news to us, the whole thing was so bizarre it didn’t feel real.

“We were in a bar at the time, which was the perfect place to start celebrating, we got a bottle of fizz in straight away.

"When we went to bed we still weren't convinced it was real, we expected to wake up realizing it had all been a dream."

The house. (Omaze via SWNS)

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Alongside a one-bed guest cottage, the picturesque property near the town of Harrogate boasts a beautiful kitchen and dining space, complete with Aga cooker and a spacious garden room.

The adjoining garage has been extended into the loft space to provide a workshop and home office with breathtaking views across the neighboring valley.

The property also features five acres of manicured grounds and gardens, settled in the quiet Yorkshire countryside.

Local estate agents estimate that the property could achieve an annual rental value of almost £50,000 ($63,510).

Eliza added: "I’ve lived in London for almost 40 years but I'm a proud Yorkshire lass at heart. My parents and sister still live there, so we come up as often as we can.

"We’d always dreamed of having a place in Yorkshire one day, close to what I still call home - now that dream has come true!

''Mum and dad can come and stay with us when we’re up here now - rather than the other way around.

“I’ve wanted to get a dog for years, but living in London, my husband has always said we don’t have enough room to get a dog - but with this garden and being surrounded by rolling hills, he can’t use lack of space as an excuse to not get one anymore!

“We’re going to enjoy it as a family for now - this house was made for Christmas so we’ll be hosting all the family here this year for sure - but who knows what the future holds in the long-term.

"Whatever we decide, my children’s future is more secure than ever.”

As well as making Eliza a multi-millionaire, the lottery also raised a staggering £1,950,000 ($2,476,899) to support Blood Cancer UK in just six weeks.

This is the second time the charity has teamed up with Omaze, with the first partnership in 2022 having also raised an additional £1,000,000 ($1,270,205).

The money will be invested in research into hard-to-treat blood cancers, and investigating treatment types that could be more effective and potentially less harmful, particularly for younger people

Eliza added: “We’re really pleased the money raised from this Omaze partnership is going to help Blood Cancer UK - my husband is a cancer research scientist, so we know just how vitally important research is in the battle against this disease.”

Helen Rowntree, Chief Executive of Blood Cancer UK, said: “We’re delighted that the Omaze Million Pound House Draw in Yorkshire has raised a fantastic £1,950,000 in just 6 weeks.

"At Blood Cancer UK we hear far too many heartbreaking experiences of people who have lost people they love to blood cancer, in fact, it’s the UK’s third biggest cancer killer.

"But thanks to the tireless effort of researchers, the day we beat blood cancer is closer than ever.

"The money raised by the Omaze community will help develop research into more effective and potentially less harmful treatment, particularly for younger people. Thank you to everyone who has supported the Omaze draw!”

James Oakes from Omaze, said: “We’re delighted that Eliza has won this wonderful house in her native Yorkshire – whilst also contributing to the £1,950,000 raised for Blood Cancer UK in the process.

“Omaze is a win-win for both charities and entrants. By offering incredible prizes, like this beautiful house in Yorkshire, we give people the chance to win the amazing houses, while also introducing charities to audiences they wouldn’t usually be able to reach.

"We’re incredibly proud that the Omaze community has already raised over seventeen million pounds for good causes across the UK.”

Eliza will celebrate 30 years of marriage to her husband Gokhan this November.

The couple has lived in London for nearly 40 years since meeting at Brunel University in the mid-80s.

Gokhan is the co-founder of a biotech company that specializes in cancer research.