Gemma Kennedy, 37, was at home with her husband when she received the lifechanging call from presenter Gemma Atkinson
18:11, 06 Jun 2025Updated 18:13, 06 Jun 2025
Gemma Kennedy with husband Michael and son Dre, after winning a £535,000 Hits Radio prize(Image: Frank C&C)
A mum from Northumberland ‘screamed and cried’ when she found out that she had won a massive £535,000 prize from Hits Radio. Gemma Kennedy, 37, received the life-changing call from station presenter Gemma Atkinson while at home with her husband Michael, 40, and their 18-month-old son Dre.
Delighted winner Gemma said: “When I heard Gemma on the other end of the phone. I just felt utter disbelief and can’t even remember what I said to her. It just wouldn’t sink in and I had to get her to speak to Michael so that he would believe it was really true. When I put the phone down, I was just running around the house screaming and crying and ringing family and friends, shouting at them to put on the radio as I knew the call would be played out to listeners.”
The couple’s neighbours John and Alison soon arrived after hearing the commotion, with Gemma and Michael running outside to share the news of their good fortune. Gemma continued: “They have been such wonderful friends and neighbours since we moved into our lovely home a few years ago.
“They were there to welcome us home when we brought Dre back from hospital and are always championing and wanting the best for us, it was such an amazing experience for us to be able to share the good news with them as it was sinking in.”
Now, Gemma has spoken about how she will use the money, with her only returning to her call centre job earlier this year after maternity leave. She added: “The first thing we have done is to pay off our mortgage, which we could never have believed would be a possibility for many years to come.
“The bank manager couldn’t believe it and said he wished he had had a bottle of Champagne for us to celebrate with. Michael could hardly speak and we were both crying, I’ll remember that moment forever.
“For us, this amazing amount of money will give us the freedom to choose and decide exactly what we want to do as a family. We want to invest for the future and can even think about early retirement, with maybe a little family holiday first to work it all out and process what has been a truly life-changing and emotional experience.”
If you are looking for your chance to win in a Hits Radio competition, you can put yourself in the draw on the website here.
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