£21k after winning TV contest

A BALLYCASTLE woman who entered a TV competition to win £21,000 thought her brother was winding her up when she got a phone call to say she had won.

Clare Donnelly got a call on Friday 13 November - a date which is unlucky for some but which proved to be one of the best of Clare's life to date - telling her of her cash windfall.

But Clare - who appeared on This Morning last week - greeted the call with scepticism thinking her brother Sean - a renowned prankster in the family - was being mischievous.

"I entered the competition last year and to be honest I had forgotten about it," Clare told the Times.

"They rang me on 13 November and interviewed me in Birmingham just before Christmas when I was over seeing my mum.

"When I first got the call I thought it was a wind-up but the caller kept assuring me it was genuine. To be honest I thought my brother might be behind it but as they went on I knew it was real.

"I just couldn't believe it really, and I don't think it has sunk in yet."

Serial competition fan Clare contacted ITV's This Morning to answer the question 'what type of animal is Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh?'

Clare answered correctly - a donkey - a wide knowledge of cartoons being one of the perks of having four children, Clare said.

"I enter nearly every competition I come across but I've never really won much other than a bike last year," she said.

"It was a lovely boost and we are really enjoying it."

Clare intends to spend the money on trips abroad this year including a much-deserved family getaway.

She also intends to visit her cousin Tina who she has only seen once in 20 years.

"We want a nice holiday in the summer which would be really good and is something we have wanted to do for a while," she said.

"I also plan to go and see my cousin who lives in Australia. We'll meet in New York which I'm really looking forward to.

"Other than that I've just been doing a bit of clothes shopping but it will soon go! It's just a nice amount of money to win."

If you're doing the lottery this weekend, it might be worth asking Clare to pick your numbers in the hope a little of her good fortune rubs off on you.

Just a fortnight after scooping the 21,000 prize, Clare won 500 worth of toy vouchers from Smyths through UTV's Watch to Win competition.

And last summer she won a kid's bike in another competiton.

"I guess someone is looking down on me," she said.

Clare moved to Ballycastle from Birmingham 13-and-a-half years ago.

She has deep roots in the town, her father Joe Harkin was well-known in Ballycastle.

Clare and husband Patrick live in the Leyland area of Ballycastle and Clare is a full-time mum to their kids - Caoimhe (11), Declan (7) Orla (5) and Maria (3).

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