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'Non-stop crying' as Perth man goes from homeless to Lotto winner

A WA man says he and his fiance were "non-stop crying" after winning the $200,000 top prize on a Lotto scratchie this week.

Five years ago the man said was a homeless teen, his only possessions a bag of clothes and his skateboard.

Today the 20-year-old, who asked not to be identified, is planning the wedding of his dreams after purchasing the ticket from his local Lucky Charm Newsagency, he told The West Australian.

The man said the win represented a huge turnaround in his fortunes.

He had spent three months living on the streets as a teenager after running away from home and had been struggling ever since.

He said his fiance was equally relieved.

“She just cried, he’s been crying non-stop crying, we both have,” he said.

“She’s just gone and bought herself a vacuum cleaner. It’s funny, that was the first thing she wanted.”

The chef said he and and his partner were struggling to save for their September nuptials but were now planning a special celebration.

“We couldn’t afford to have the wedding so we were going to postpone it but now we can have it,” he said.

The remaining money will be spent on studying for his dream job on a mine site and a new car for his mother.

“She’s really been doing it hard, she’s been having trouble with her car so I’m going to park a Mustang in her drive,” he told The West.

Lotterywest confirmed the legitimacy of the win, sold at the Willetton newsagency.