The UK winners of a £61m EuroMillions jackpot have been revealed as Richard and Debbie Nuttall – who at first thought they had only won £2.60.
The lucky couple, both 54, from Colne, Lancashire, won a £61,708,231 share of the £123m jackpot prize from the draw on 30 January – the other winning ticket having been purchased in Spain.
Speaking to the media today at Mitton Hall Hotel in Clitheroe, Lancashire, Mr Nuttall said: “We are dazed, it’s surreal, it’s a huge amount of money. You dream of winning the lottery but you never think it’s going to be you, but it is.”
He revealed he was checking his emails while on holiday in Fuerteventura, in the Canary Islands, earlier this year when he found a message from the lottery saying he had a £2.60 win in his account and told his wife.
She responded: “Woo hoo, we can get a bacon butty with that.”
He then went out for the day and came back to the room. Then he checked his emails and found a message from the lottery saying he needed to check his account again.
“I looked and it said ‘you’ve won £61,708,231’, ring this number,” Mr Nuttall explained.
The couple have no plans to continue working. Mrs Nuttall has already handed her notice in and Mr Nuttall, a self-employed accountant, said he will stop working at the end of the tax year, in March.
The first thing Mr Nuttall bought with his winnings was a new set of golf clubs and a golf bag, as he loves the sport, while his wife splurged on a new hairdryer.
He went on to reveal that just five weeks ago they were planning on downsizing to a bungalow as both their children have grown up and left home.
“We even found one nearby that needed a lot of work and were considering an offer,” he said.
He added: “Now we are very much upsizing, with plenty of land for Debbie and the dog to enjoy. Our lives are going to be so different.
“We have worked hard all our lives and we are now very much looking forward to taking life a bit easier.
“But not just that, this win will also change the lives of those closest to us, and hopefully the next generation after that too.”
The couple are also planning to support a charity that is close to their hearts called BK’s Heroes which was set up in their nephew, Ben King’s, memory after he died of a rare condition, Tubular Interstitial Nephritis and Uveitis, aged 27.
Mr Nuttall said: “This charity means so much to our family and we are all involved. It was originally set up to raise funds for the ward where Ben was so brilliantly cared for but we have gone on to raise much more.
“Ben was such an inspiration to all of us. He was incredibly brave and positive throughout his treatment and it was his wish for this charity to be set up to do what it can to help lives in the future.”
