Reporter Quits on Air After Winning ‘Christmas Lottery’ — Hours Later Realizes Her Terrible Mistake

A Spanish TV reporter quit her job on air after winning the lottery on Sunday — only to issue an abashed apology days later after the amount she’d won was revealed.

Natalia Escudero, who works for RTVE, erupted in joy on live TV after her name was announced as one of the winners of Spain’s Christmas lottery, CNBC reported.

“I’m not coming to work tomorrow!” an ebullient Escudero screamed into TV cameras as champagne bottles popped around her.

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Then reports regarding how much money Escudero had won emerged: $5,539.

Aquí la tienes: "la reportera de La 1" de la que habla todo el mundo a estas horas. ¡Se llama Natalia Escudero! #LoteríaRTVE

? Directo ➡ https://t.co/pfgTOQpaaN pic.twitter.com/58j3ACuNte

— TVE (@tve_tve) December 22, 2019

The Christmas lottery is an annual tradition in Spain, according to CNBC.

And while it is the wealthiest lottery in the world in terms of total prize money doled out, Spain doesn’t give out individual cash rewards that are as massive as the ones in the United States.

Social media users mocked Escudero following her broadcast outburst.

One TV program even produced a parody, satirizing Escudero’s embarrassing viral moment.

S’hem marcat un #NataliaEscudero i hem celebrat #LaGrossa amb molta eufòria…??sense que ens haja tocat? @apunt_media @_joanlopez @Carolinaferre6 @nereasanfe @rtve @MariaCasado_TVE #LoteriaNavidad #LoteríaRtve #LoteriaNadalÀPunt #ÀPuntDirecte @LaMananaTVE @estherkollado pic.twitter.com/NxymOBIFH4

— À Punt DIRECTE (@APuntdirecte) December 23, 2019

Escudero took to Twitter and apologized later on Sunday, saying the last few months had been “difficult” for “personal reasons.”

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Spain’s Christmas lottery awarded a total of nearly $3 billion in prize money this year, according to CNBC.

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