£1.5m prize for West Berkshire carpenter

Graham Fletcher won the money on ITV programme Red or Black?, in which contestants have to predict the outcome of a series of sporting challenges, stunts and performances.
The 32-year-old, who is married to Lucy with whom he has three children, has already spent some of the money on a new house in Burghfield, moving from their rented accommodation in Tilehurst.
Readily admitting that life has been financially tough up until now, Mr Fletcher said he had been forced to borrow money from friends and relatives to keep his family afloat.
The carpenter, who bagged the money on September 8’s episode, said: “Six years ago, during the boom, I was earning £1,500 a week. My salary went down by two thirds during the recession and we got into serious debt. I ended up working in south London last year. I would leave home at 5am and get back at 9pm so I never saw my kids when they were awake. Lucy was doing four jobs to help us get by.
“It’s been difficult. I have had to borrow from family and I had to get an individual voluntary arrangement out. I owed £36,000 – largely through credit cards.”
Despite the windfall Mr Fletcher said he will continue to work.
“I now have the resources to expand my carpentry business. With my bad credit, I wouldn’t have previously been able to expand the business. Now I’m taking three more people on.
“It’s also allowed my wife to expand her beautician business. She now has premises in Reading that our currently being done up.
“I am a normal person and I just have to keep telling myself that there is a god out there who likes me,” he added.
As well as the new house, Mr Fletcher has also bought a new BMW convertible, taken his family on holiday to Cyprus and promised his wife (pictured with her husband bottom right) a new Range Rover as a thank you for entering him on the TV show.
“My wife surprised me one day and said she had entered me for the competition,” the 32-year-old said
“I didn’t know she was applying. We watched the show last year and really enjoyed it and she kept commenting on the fact that I kept getting the answers right in the first series and that I should go on Red or Black too.”