A husband has told how he was worried his wife could have a heart attack before they could claim a massive USD 100,000 lottery prize.

Trucker Teddy Sparks, 68 – from Onslow, North Carolina state, USA – had bought a scratch-off ticket with his wife on the way to a date night at the movies.

North Carolina Education Lottery said in a statement obtained by Newsflash: “After seeing a movie with his wife Sunday night, Teddy Sparks of Hubert stopped at a convenience store to buy a scratch-off and discovered a $100,000 [GBP 82,400] prize.”

“Sparks, a 68-year-old truck driver, bought his lucky $25 [GBP 20] Spectacular Riches ticket from the Circle K on North Marine Boulevard in Jacksonville.”

Teddy told the lottery officials: “My wife was scratching the ticket and then her hands started shaking and she started freaking out.”

He continued: “I told her, ‘Don’t freak out and have a heart attack before we can get the money’.”

Sparks arrived at lottery headquarters on 19th December to collect the prize and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home USD 71,017 GBP (58,508).

He said he would use his winnings to pay some bills and put the rest in the bank.

The statement added: “Spectacular Riches debuted in October of 2021 with eight $1 million [GBP 823,860] prizes and 20 $100,000 [GBP 82,386] prizes. Two $1 million prizes and seven $100,000 prizes remain to be claimed.”