Student nurse Oceanne Belle forced to 'sofa surf' wins £5m London townhouse in Omaze prize draw

A student nurse forced to 'sofa surf' after becoming a victim of Britain's rental crisis has won - a £5 million house. Oceanne Belle, had recently moved in with friends so she could afford to continue her studies after her landlord put her rent up.

But she has now won the keys to a stunning Chelsea townhouse worth a whopping £5m - along with £100,000 in cash. The Omaze prize is part of a campaign that raised £2,600,000 for NHS Charities Together, the charity caring for the NHS.

Her new four storey home, won with a £10 ticket, is in the sought-after Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The property is also the most valuable house ever to be won in a UK prize draw.

The beautiful townhouse comes mortgage free, with all stamp duty and legal fees covered. Oceanne is free to either live in the house, rent it out or sell it to become a cash multi-millionaire. Local estate agents estimate the property could achieve a long-term rental value of around £140,000 a year.

Oceanne studies full-time at the University of Sunderland in London - and will finish her BSc (Bachelor of Science) degree in Health and Social Care in January. Originally from the Seychelles, Oceanne has lived in London for 19 years with her long-term partner 56-year-old Messaoud, nicknamed Didine.

When Omaze first tried to contact Oceanne to tell her she’d scooped a prize she blocked the number because she didn’t recognise it. She now says winning the house is the “best Christmas present ever”.

Oceanne said: "It was a Friday night and I’d been writing a dissertation all day and feeling a bit down in the dumps as it's so stressful. I got a few calls from a number I didn’t know so I blocked it, twice!

"Then I got a text message telling me I’d won an Omaze prize - I just text back saying this must be a joke!? I eventually went downstairs to see who was there and was greeted by the Omaze team singing funny Christmas carols - then the next thing I knew I’d won a multimillion-pound house and my life had changed forever!

"I never win anything and had only ever entered Omaze draws twice before - I guess it's a case of third time lucky! When they told me I’d won the grand prize I was shaking. It’s still sinking in and I was still shaking on Sunday.

"My partner and I are staying with friends in their flat at the moment as my old landlord kept on putting our rent up and up, so we couldn’t afford to stay there any longer. I’m studying to become a paediatric nurse one day, so it's very difficult to pay for rent in London while also being at university full-time."

Revelling in her change in fortunes, Oceanne is now making plans to make use of her new upmarket pad by inviting friends over to stay. She said: "It's so crazy that last week I was technically ‘sofa surfing’ at a friend’s flat - and now I’ve won a £5 million townhouse in Chelsea - it's just unbelievable. I can now invite all my family over from the Seychelles to come and stay.

"I absolutely love cooking and can’t wait to use the kitchen - it's an amazing feeling. This has to be the best Christmas present ever! I’m not sure what I’m going to do long-term yet - but we’re definitely going to spend some time here and enjoy it.

However, the 49-year-old is adament she won't let the win go to her head, saying: "Winning this house is a dream come true, but it won’t change me as a person, I still want to fulfil my ultimate dream of becoming a paediatric nurse - and this win will help me to achieve that. I’m thrilled this Omaze draw has raised so much money for NHS Charities Together, I’ve recently had a long stay in hospital - so I know firsthand how incredible the work the NHS does is - I owe my life to the NHS - I wouldn’t be here today without them."

The Omaze Million Pound House Draw raised £2,600,000 for NHS Charities Together - the national independent charity caring for the NHS. The charity helps the NHS go further for everyone at a time of immense challenge on health services.

Ellie Orton OBE, Chief Executive at NHS Charities Together, said: "This incredible amount of money will help us provide life-saving equipment, volunteers and training that will save lives."

James Oakes from Omaze, said: “We’re over the moon that Oceanne has won this incredible townhouse in Chelsea, whilst also contributing to the £2,600,000 raised for NHS Charities Together - which is our biggest ever raise for a charity partner."

Draw entries for the current Omaze Million Pound House Draw in Somerset are available now. The draw closes on December 26 for online entries and January 3 for postal entries. For how to enter and full terms and conditions, visit the Omaze website.