EAST Lancashire Lottery star John Willan is set to throw away his pristine white gloves and swap them for a pair of dirty old gardening gloves.

Drawmaster John is known to millions as "the man with the white gloves" and is set to retire tonight after eight years on the National Lottery show.

John, 63, born in Laneshawbridge, spent most of his youth in Pendle. He lived in Dudley Street, Colne, for many years before moving to Grosvenor Street in the town.

The former Park High School pupil set up home in St Albans, Hertfordshire, in the 1960s to become a horticultural lecturer.

He became famous when millions of people tuned in to watch him announce the name of the machine that would create hundreds of millionaires across the country and triggered the balls used in the draw each week.

Starring alongside presenters including Ken Dodd, Anthea Turner and Eammon Holmes since the National Lottery began in 1994 have been some of John's fondest memories.

He was headhunted by BBC bosses in 1994 when he was working at a plant nursery as a lecturer in Hampstead.

His claim to fame before he started work on the National Lottery was that he taught Alan Titchmarsh everything he knows.

Mr Willan, married with two children, said it would be the end of an era for him tonight.

He said: "I love the show and all the people I work with. I have had a really good time.

"Viewers probably believe I work just two nights a week. They're wrong. I work around 50 hours a week getting ready for the show and making sure everything is correct for the two draws.

"It will be nice to be able to spend some time at home and in the garden where I have three allotments to keep me busy.

"I will take away many fond memories with me. Jill Dando used to come to the studios and watch us quite a lot because she was good friends with the man who does the voice-over for the Lottery.

"This job is extremely rewarding because you are the one responsible for creating millionaires every week. You can't beat that!

"My grandfather worked until he was 80, but though I love my job, we all have to stop at one point and I think now is as good a time as any.

"Who know's, I might now be able to come back up to Colne to see what I have been missing all these years!"

National Lottery organisers Camelot revealed a 33-year-old former nurse-turned-DJ would become the new face of the draw.

Gigi Morley, who trained at the Kent and Sussex Hospital in Tunbridge Wells, was chosen after a series of Pop Idol-style auditions for the drawmaster position, set to be expanded as part of a £72 million revamp of the Lottery.