Couple: £148m can buy us love

15 August 2012 - 02:17 By ©The Daily Telegraph
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Adrian and Gillian Bayford, of Haverhill, Suffolk, in England won more than £148-million in the EuroMillions lottery Picture: OLI SCARFF/GALLO IMAGES
Adrian and Gillian Bayford, of Haverhill, Suffolk, in England won more than £148-million in the EuroMillions lottery Picture: OLI SCARFF/GALLO IMAGES

A British couple who scooped more than £148-million (about R1.9-billion) in the lottery said they will use the money to improve their family life after barely seeing each other for years because of their shifts.

Adrian Bayford, 41, a shop owner, and his wife Gillian, 40, a healthcare professional, said they were "like ships in the night", only seeing their children and each other for a few hours a day.

But their new fortune - the second-biggest jackpot ever - will give them free time.

The couple from Haverhill in Suffolk, who have two children - Cameron, four, and Amy, six - said they were very grounded and the money would not change them. They also plan to share their good fortune with a small but close group of family and friends so they do not run the risk of being ostracised by their riches.

Gillian plans to give up her job in the children's ward of Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridgeshire. Her husband will continue to work at his secondhand music shop.

Adrian bought the ticket at a shop over the road from their house using Lucky Dip numbers.

The couple plan to buy a new home, an Audi 4x4 car and take the children to Disney World.

"The win is not just for us. It is for us to share and everyone's life is going to be more enjoyable and stress-free."

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