Reporter quits job while live on air after winning lottery, but later discovers payout was about $5,500

MADRID - A Spanish television reporter appeared to quit her job while she was live on air while celebrating a winning lottery ticket, but later discovered her payout was about $5,500. 

Natalia Escudero was covering Spain’s annual Christmas lottery called El Gordo (The Fat One) for the public broadcaster RTVE. When she found out she was a winner, she cheered wildly and said, “I’m not going in tomorrow!” in Spanish.

“Natalia doesn’t work tomorrow!” she continued with a big smile, while wagging her finger at the camera.  

But Escudero later discovered that her payout was only about $5,500, according to the BBC. The lottery’s top prize is around $4.5 million. 

Escudero apologized for her reaction and regretted for behaving in such an “emotional” manner, the report said. She responded to criticism from social media, saying she had a “difficult” few months for “personal” reasons, the outlet reported. 

"It is sad that Natalia Escudero is today [known as] the manipulative and lying journalist from RTVE," she tweeted.

She said that in her 25 years working as a professional journalist, she continued to have a "clear conscience" and was proud of her "rigorous and proven work," the BBC reported. 

She also apologized for any confusion and clarified that she was being honest about taking time off because she was “going on holiday,” the report said. 

This story was reported from Los Angeles.