A man’s lost lottery ticket has netted him a cool USD 1 million – but only after it was found by his wife.

The couple – from Waynesville, North Carolina, USA – had lost track of the USD-2 (GBP-1.60) ticket and did not even realise they were winners.

But winner Terry Peace said: “My wife found it in her pocketbook.

“I guess when she initially reached in to check the tickets she just missed that one.”

Terry, 65, hopes his winnings – worth GBP 817,000 – will allow him to retire early. He said: “This is life-changing.

“How many people really win a million dollars.”

Terry, whose odds of winning were given by lottery officials as one in 11.6 million, said: “I’ve always had good luck. I always told people, ‘I know I have the luck to win.'”

After tax, Terry took home USD 712,501 (GBP 582,000).

He added: “We just can’t put into words how happy we are and how appreciative we are.”

In a statement obtained by Newsflash, North Carolina Education Lottery said: “A forgotten ticket at the bottom of a purse became a $1 million Powerball win for Terry Peace of Waynesville.

“Peace, 65, does renovation work on homes. He said winning this prize could lead to an early retirement.

“Peace bought his $2 ticket for the Jan. 4 drawing from I Market on Barber Boulevard in Waynesville.

“Peace’s winning ticket matched numbers on all five white balls in the drawing. The odds of matching all five white balls are 1 in 11.6 million.

“He claimed his prize at lottery headquarters Wednesday and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $712,501. Peace said he wants to put some money aside for his grandchildren, put some in savings, and buy a Ford F-150 truck.”