UK lottery winner says she was ready for record $228m jackpot

A married couple from England announced on Thursday that they had landed Britain's biggest-ever lottery jackpot of 184 million pounds ($228.4 million), and one of the lucky winners said she had always felt destined to land a huge prize.

“My dad played the National Lottery all his life and constantly dreamed of winning,” Jess Thwaite, a manager at a hairdressing salon which she runs with her sister in the western city of Gloucester, told reporters.

“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.”

Her husband Joe, a 49-year-old communications sales engineer, took the news a bit less serenely.

“I looked it up and saw we'd won. I saw how much and I didn't know what to do. I couldn’t go back to sleep,” he said. “The win gives us time to dream which we haven't had before.”

EuroMillions is a lottery competition spanning several European countries and requires seven correct numbers to win the jackpot.

The couple said they had decided to share news of their win so they can get on and enjoy their life, and support family members without having to hide their wealth.

“I don't want to lie to family and friends. I want to enjoy it with them,” Jess Thwaite said.

Reuters