A LOTTO winner who scooped £115million says she has given more than HALF of it away in just three years as she is “addicted to giving”.
Teacher turned philanthropist Frances Connolly, 55, has dished out a huge chunk of her EuroMillions windfall after her numbers came up in 2019.
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And the mum-of-three has already blown through her annual charity budget she agreed for this year with husband Paddy, 57.
The couple have exhausted the allocated amount they planned to give away over the next decade – and Frances has no plans to slow down.
She admitted she just can’t resist sharing her good fortune, saying: “It gives you a buzz. I’m addicted to it now.”
The 55-year-old former social worker and teacher’s life was changed forever when she won the staggering amount in January 2019.
At the time, it was the fourth-biggest win in 25 years of the Lottery.
But big-hearted Frances immediately began making a list of 50 close friends and family to give a huge portion away to.
The docket then drastically grew to an astonishing 175 people -allowing her loved ones to purchase new homes or pay off their mortgages.
The caring couple have now dished out £50million to families and £10m to charities for young carers, refugees and the elderly.
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But Frances hasn’t only just been bitten by the generosity bug – as the dedicated do-gooder volunteered for the St John Ambulance from age nine.
She then went on to set up an Aids helpline during her time as a student in Belfast, before settling down in Hartlepool with Paddy.
Now generous Frances has launched two of her own charitable foundations, ensuring her gift to give back can plough on.
A gala fundraiser she hosted this weekend for 250 guests raised a whopping £100,000 for one of her beloved organisations.
The mum took the opportunity to share her inspiring story of sharing her wealth and her love of helping others.
She said: “Who needs all that money?
“People do ask: ‘How did you cope with that amount of money?’ I said: ‘I never did. It wasn’t in the bank two days’.
“It’s still weird, but I’ve never actually had to come to terms with all that money because we had it for such a short amount of time.
“Money liberates you to be the person that you want to be – if I had any advice for a winner, that’s what I’d say.
“If you’re stupid before you get it, you’re going to be stupid afterwards. Money’s not going to make you sensible.
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“Think about what type of person you are and what type of person you want to be.
“We won £114,969,775.70 and have given away more than half. That’s £60million-worth of love.
“The thing that makes me even happier is that every single person we gave money to has passed some of it on to other people.
“I can’t think of a day since winning the Lottery that I haven’t smiled.”
The couple, who have three daughters – Catrina, 34, and twins Fiona and Natalie, 26 – have never been extravagant with their winnings.
Their only major purchase was a six-bedroom house in County Durham with seven acres of land.
And humble car lover Paddy, 57, drives a second-hand Aston Martin while running the family’s plastic businesses.
Frances joked that despite her unrelenting generosity, she doesn’t keep a tally of how much she gives away – in case her hubby sees it.
She admits they will now have to draw up a new charity budget after busting it for the next decade.
The 55-year-old explained: “We do a budget every year, and we’re already on 2032’s budget.
“We might have to revise that,” the lotto winner laughed.
Although she is aware she cannot “cure poverty” on her own, Frances rests easy knowing her EuroMillions triumph has also helped others.
