An actor who is set to star in a play about a man missing out on a 100-1 bet has had a real-life stroke of luck after finding a EuroMillions ticket worth more than £55,000.

Dion Davies, 47, from Ceredigion, found the ticket tucked inside a sun visor while his car was being cleaned, six weeks after the draw.

The father-of-one, who has appeared in the BBC’s Torchwood and Sky comedy Stella, said he found the ticket only because his black Nissan was so untidy it needed a professional valet to clean it.

He said: “I needed to clean the car both inside and out. It was in a terrible state after lots of journeys, so I took it for a professional valet.

“The guy asked me to take all of my belongings out before he started just in case he threw away something that was valuable! I’m glad he did.”

Mr Davies had matched all five numbers and one Lucky Star from a EuroMillions draw on Tuesday 20 December to win £55,086.

He was playing a pantomime dame in Sleeping Beauty at the Torch Theatre in Milford Haven at the time, but his next role is in a play he co-created about a man who fails to bet on a 100-1 victorious outsider in a horse race, based on the 1990 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Norton’s Coin.

He said: “My next project is starring in The Bet at The Chapter Theatre in Cardiff. I came across a tale, a side story to the Welsh horse Norton’s Coin winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1990. It’s a story about a man close to the trainer who didn’t bet on the 100-1 outside horse winning.”

After discovering the ticket, Mr Davies went home to tell his wife, Ifana, before calling The National Lottery to make the claim.

“Ifana had a friend round, so she stayed with us while we made the call,” Mr Davies said.

“When the person at the Lottery said it was a winner, we all went, together with a neighbour, for some lunch together, which of course included some fizz.

“As an actor you always have ‘rest’ periods,” he added, “so the win has come in handy!”

Mr Davies and his wife have a 15-year-old son, and the family are planning a trip to Italy this year. Mr Davies also hopes to take his son to Comic-Con in San Diego.