A HUGE £35million EuroMillions jackpot could be yours tonight – a day after a Gloucestershire couple revealed they’ve claimed the country’s biggest ever win.
Brits are urged to buy a ticket ahead of this evening’s draw, with Lottery operator Camelot dubbing the win “dream come true money”.
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Ticket-holders will be keeping their fingers well and truly crossed after Joe and Jess Thwaite claimed an astonishing £184m.
It’s a record prize for a UK winner.
The couple, who have been married for 11 years and have two primary school-aged children, went public yesterday after initially celebrating privately with a family dinner.
They bought a Lucky Dip ticket ahead of the draw on Tuesday, May 10 – and Joe only realised he’d won at 5am the next day after checking his emails and spotting a message from the National Lottery.
He didn’t immediately wake his wife, but waited for her alarm to go off before telling her the life-changing news.
The pair want to spend the money on treats, including a trip to Hawaii and a horsebox for their children’s ponies.
Joe also said he hopes to never queue at Screwfix or carry out DIY again.
Jess told reporters: “The win gives us time to dream, which we haven’t had before.”
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And she said she’s been preparing to win for years.
“My dad played the Lottery when we were growing up and he played the same numbers every single week,” she said.
“He died about seven years ago and kind of Joe took on the baton as the one who did the Lottery for our family.
“So he started off using those numbers, but he’d forget them or get them wrong or something, so we then went to Lucky Dip, so that it was luck.
“It’s unbelievable because that’s what my dad dreamed of all his life, and used to say to us frequently, ‘Imagine if you won the Lottery, think about if you won the Lottery’.”
COUPLE’S RECORD WIN
They revealed they went public because they wanted to be honest with the people they love.
Previously, the largest sum ever awarded to a single UK ticket holder was £170m. The winner has chosen to stay anonymous.
Other mega EuroMillions winners include Colin and Chris Weir, who claimed £161m. The sum put them into The Sunday Times rich list above Beatle Ringo Starr and Sir Tom Jones.
Colin, who died in December 2019, spent £40million in eight years, including a £20,000 investment in bakery Greggs.
But the couple, of Largs, Ayshire, ended up divorcing in 2019 eight years after scooping the jackpot.
The win gives us time to dream, which we haven’t had before
They were married for 38 years before being hit by the curse of the lottery.
Pals said it was an “open secret” they had drifted apart following their record-breaking win.
Adrian and Gillian Bayford won £148million in 2012, but split up just 15 months later.
Gillian bought a lavish £1.2million mansion, launched a property business and snapped up a fleet of cars including a £150,000 Bentley Bentayga.
Her dad blasted her publicly, claiming she only gave him £1m rather than the £20m she claimed to have given.
In July, unlucky-in-love Adrian sold the £6m mansion where he was dumped four times.
The home had 189 acres, a cinema, billiards room, gym and a pool.
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