:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/U7ZE4WOTXRETA2BDKSMTF3EW7A.jpg)
A married couple in the UK have been revealed as the winners of Britain’s biggest EuroMillions lottery jackpot of £184 million.
Joe and Jess Thwaite, from Gloucester, scooped a record-breaking £184,262,899 with a Lucky Dip ticket on the draw on Tuesday May 10th .
Mr Thwaite (49) a communications sales engineer, and Ms Thwaite (44) who runs a hairdressing salon with her sister, have been married for 11 years and have two primary-school aged children.
Mrs Thwaite said: "The win gives us time to dream, which we haven't had before. We've had one week to think about this and we now have time to share lots of experiences and go on adventures with our family and friends.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/BN4JRGYQCSHTW2UPJBHUTOXEYY.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/VHBHM42GQB3G3N36MKO5TUXZJI.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/WABBXKZFNHKFUVSKFFCZJUPZC4.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/EIBXWP2GO53DGHJGERZNQCOASE.jpg)
"Our two children have always talked about going to Hawaii, I've no idea why but we can now make that dream come true.
“They have always wanted a horse box for our ponies rather than the run-down trailer we use. “Just to see their faces when we can make these things come true will be worth every penny.”
The record was previously held by an anonymous ticket-holder who banked £170 million in October 2019. The new record-breakers mark the second EuroMillions jackpot won in the UK this year, with the £109 million jackpot from the draw on February 4th claimed a few days later.
Mr Thwaite said that when he received an email telling him he won a prize he thought it was a lucky dip. “Then I looked at the amount and I put the phone down. And I picked the phone up again, and I looked at the amount again.
“I first thought it was in thousands,” he said, adding that he thought it was “life-changing”. But then he “started counting the digits”, adding: “Amazing, but also surreal.”
He said they have been trying to move house for quite a while. “In the past everything we’ve kind of wanted is far beyond what we can afford, so I thought I don’t need to filter, I can actually just look at anything,” he said.
Ms Thwaite said they decided to ring the lottery office at 8am when it opened. “I was like, ‘Right, I’ll go make coffee and get on with the day.”’
When the office told them they “definitely had won”, Mrs Thwaite said: “I didn’t think it was real to be honest. I still don’t think that it’s real.”
Asked if they are worried about scammers or people coming forward who may want to take their money, Ms Thwaite said: “I haven’t even thought of anything like that. To be honest, we’re a week in. “We’re, like, so overwhelmed by this stuff. I just haven’t even got to consider that if I’m honest.”
Mr Thwaite added: “We’re trying to think of all the positives. That’s the main thing of this is there’s a lot of positives.”
Asked if they would carry on working after their win, Ms Thwaite said: “I don’t think we are at the moment. “I’m going to take some time with that and what we’re going to do.”
Mr Thwaite said he has handed his notice in. “I’m leaving work.”
“I think we’re going to have a full-time job managing all of this for quite some time,” said Ms Thwaite.
Ms Thwaite said her husband “took on the baton” of doing the lottery from her father, who died seven years ago. Ms Thwaite said her father “always used the same numbers”, but her husband said: “I always go with a lucky dip because I think that’s easier.” – PA