Winner jokes about lottery payouts

George Traykov beat odds of one-in-438 million when he picked up a £160,873 prize this year to add to the £1m he won in September 2011.

However the Bulgarian property developer, who lives in Ilford, Essex, joked that his windfall could have been even bigger.

“I missed the big jackpot by one number,” said the 45-year-old, who was just one digit short of claiming £12m.

Adrenaline junky George said the thrill of his second win did not compare to his real passion, skydiving.

“I wasn’t really that bothered,” he said.

“Nothing compares with skydiving.”

It is a hobby many fathers may not encourage their 13-year-old daughter to do, but not so for Mr Traykov, who was once a member of the Bulgarian skydiving team.

“The first win enabled me to make a few changes in my life, most importantly sending my daughter Elaine to private school and maintaining her skydiving training sessions,” he said.

Mr Traykov, who never picks his own numbers and always plays the lucky dip, was so laid back about his second big money win that he didn’t even claim it until two months after the prize draw in November.

He added that he could be sitting on even more money, saying he had a few more tickets he had not yet checked.

Mr Traykov, “happily divorced” in his own words, lives alone but was accompanied to a photocall to celebrate his latest win by a mysterious young brunette who kept hold of his 11-month-old pug puppy, called Muffin.

“I’ve always worked very hard and never spent more than I have so money has never been a major problem for me,” he said.