A student nurse who was forced to 'sofa surf' after becoming a victim of Britain's rental crisis has won a £5m house.
Winner, Oceanne Belle, 49, recently moved in with friends so she could afford to continue her studies after her landlord put her rent up.
But now, she is the owner of a stunning Chelsea townhouse worth a whopping £5,000,000 along with £100,000 in cash.
The prize from charity Omaze was part of a campaign that raised £2,600,000 for NHS Charities Together, the charity caring for the NHS.
Belle won her new four-storey home with a £10 ticket in the sought-after Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
The home became the most valuable house ever to be won in a UK prize draw.
Woman wins London townhouse worth £5m
The townhouse comes mortgage-free, with all stamp duty and legal fees covered and Belle has the choice to either live in the house, rent it out or sell it to become a cash multi-millionaire.
Local estate agents estimate that the property could achieve a long-term rental value of around £140,000 a year.
Oceanne studies full-time at the University of Sunderland in London and will finish her BSc (Bachelor of Science) degree in Health and Social Care in January.
Originally from the Seychelles, Oceanne has lived in London for 19 years with her long-term partner 56-year-old Messaoud, nicknamed Didine.
When Omaze first tried to contact Oceanne to tell her she’d scooped a prize she blocked the number because she didn’t recognise it.
She now says winning the house is the “best Christmas present ever”.
Oceanne said: “It was a Friday night and I’d been writing a dissertation all day and feeling a bit down in the dumps as it's so stressful.
''I got a few calls from a number I didn’t know so I blocked it, twice!
''Then I got a text message telling me I’d won an Omaze prize, I just texted back saying this must be a joke!?
“I eventually went downstairs to see who was there and was greeted by the Omaze team singing funny Christmas carols - then the next thing I knew I’d won a multimillion-pound house and my life had changed forever!"
At the time of winning the house, Belle was staying with friends, as she shared: "My partner and I are staying with friends in their flat at the moment as my old landlord kept on putting our rent up and up, so we couldn’t afford to stay there any longer.
''I’m studying to become a paediatric nurse one day, so it's very difficult to pay for rent in London while also being at university full-time.”
Sharing what she plans to do with the home, Belle said: "I’m not sure what I’m going to do long-term yet - but we’re definitely going to spend some time here and enjoy it.
''Winning this house is a dream come true, but it won’t change me as a person, I still want to fulfil my ultimate dream of becoming a paediatric nurse - and this win will help me to achieve that.”
James Oakes from Omaze, said: “We’re over the moon that Oceanne has won this incredible townhouse in Chelsea, whilst also contributing to the £2,600,000 raised for NHS Charities Together - which is our biggest ever raise for a charity partner.''
Draw entries for the current Omaze Million Pound House Draw in Somerset are available now at omaze.co.uk.
The draw closes on Tuesday 26th December for online entries and Wednesday 3rd Jan 2024 for postal entries.
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