By Sheila Mckenzie-
A thrilled couple who scooped the biggest-ever lottery win have said they can now dream, and have “been ready to win for years”.
Joe and Jess Thwaite from Gloucester, have revealed their identities after winning £184m on the EuroMillions last week.
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A brilliant summer awaits them. The winning EuroMillions numbers for her lucky draw were 3, 25, 27, 28 and 29 – plus the Lucky Star numbers 4 and 9.
Thwaite,44, who bought the ticket, said: “Generally my luck is pretty terrible, to be honest with you.”
The couple, who have been married for 11 years, have two young children.
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They went public at a news conference today, expressing their shock and ecstatic feeling about the big the win and how they planned to spend their winnings.
The new winning record holders beat the second highest figure of £170m in 2019.
Mrs Thwaite said: “The win gives us time to dream which we haven’t had before.
They have been married for 11 years and have two young children.
Mr Thwaite revealed that he let his wife sleep in last Wednesday morning after discovering they had won.
He said he felt a compulsion to buy a ticket, given the big jackpot ahead.
The next morning he got up as usual at 5.15am before checking his phone and seeing an email from the National Lottery saying, “Good news, you’ve won a prize”.
Joe Thwaite, 49, and Jess Thwaite, 46, from Gloucestershire celebrate after winning the record-breaking EuroMillions jackpot of £184M from the draw on Tuesday 10 May, 2022, at the Ellenborough Park Hotel, in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Picture date: Thursday May 19, 2022.
“I saw how much and I didn’t know what to do,” Mr Thwaite said.
“I couldn’t go back to sleep, I didn’t want to wake Jess up, so I just laid there for what seemed like forever. I spent some time searching for property with no budget limit, which was a novelty!”
He then told his wife: “I’ve got a secret, I’ve got something to tell you.”
Big winning couple kiss to great times ahead after big win Image@PA
She was initially sceptical about her husband’s big announcement and concluded that the National Lottery app was wrong, or that it was a joke.
Joe Thwaite, 49, and Jess Thwaite, 46, from Gloucestershire – Winning ticket message
Suppressing her excitement in case it turned out to be false news, she got up to make coffee and start their normal morning routine.
Mrs Thwaite admitted she had been worried about going public, but said she wants to “enjoy” the prize with her friends and family.
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Recalling how she broke the news to her mother in the car park, she said: “‘I’ve got something to tell you, a secret to tell you but you have to promise not to tell anybody’.
“She was like: ‘OK’, and then she was like: ‘Are you pregnant?'”
Mrs Thwaite said she told her mum: “It’s better than being pregnant.”
Mrs Thwaite added: “She just literally screamed in the car park and burst into tears because even though it’s wonderful and exciting, it’s also a massive relief for everybody that’s been struggling with all their bills and all their things for all this time.”
New Car And Rugby Game On The Spending List
They might also buy a new car, she said.
Mr Thwaite said he wanted to take his children to a rugby game.
“I’d love to watch Gloucester or England rugby live with the kids but we have only really been able to watch on TV,” he said. “I’d love us all to get on a plane and go on a holiday, somewhere sunny.
Joe Thwaite, 49, and Jess Thwaite, 46, from Gloucestershire celebrate after winning the record-breaking EuroMillions jackpot of £184M from the draw on Tuesday 10 May, 2022, at the Ellenborough Park Hotel, in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Picture date: Thursday May 19, 2022.
“It’ll be great to spend more time with my brother. We both work really hard and rarely see each other, it’ll be amazing to now be able to spend time together.”
Mrs Thwaite said: “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.”
She revealed that she was more prepared for the win than many, thanks to her father, saying: “My dad played the National Lottery all his life and constantly dreamed of winning.
“He would always ask us what we’d do when we won, how we’d spend it, who we’d treat. It was a regular conversation and I feel like he was preparing us. Maybe that is why I seem so chilled, as I’ve kind of been ready to win for years.”
When her father died seven years ago, her husband took over playing the lottery.
Mr Thwaite said: “The family always ask me if I have a ticket for the big draws. While I don’t play every week, I do a Lucky Dip when there is a big jackpot. Although I don’t feel like I’ve had a lot of luck in the past.”
Their win is another example of the reality that the jackpot can come to anybody’s hands after a long wait, and potentially change the future for the better.
The national lottery has produced many winners since its inauguration in 1994, and the record keeps being broken with time.
Some winners have used their fortune wisely and set themselves up for life, others have frittered their winnings away.
Hopefully for the Thwaite’s, their joy has just begun.
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