Joe and Jess Thwaite were confirmed as the winners of Britain’s biggest-ever lottery jackpot – a huge £184m.
An anonymous ticket-holder held the previous record, taking £170million to the bank in October 2019 – one of only 14 players to have ever won a jackpot of more than £100million.
It is the second time lucky numbers came up in a EuroMillions jackpot for a UK winner this year, with £109million claimed a few days after a big win on February 4.
UK lottery winners have the option of revealing their identity or staying annoymous.
From the UK National Lottery’s rich list, only three winners out of the ten chose have previously chosen to reveal themselves.
August 2012: Adrian and Gillian Bayford
Jackpot: £148m
Adrian Bayford and then wife Gillian, from Haverhill, Suffolk, pictured in August 2021 after it was announced they had won a jackpot of just over £148 million
In August 2012, Mr and Mrs Bayford won 190 million euro in a EuroMillions draw, which amounted to just over £148 million.
The couple used their winnings to buy a Grade-II listed estate in Cambridgeshire, complete with cinema and billiards room.
But within a year their marriage ended and Gillian moved back to Scotland with her half share of the winnings, where she launched a property company.
She has since remarried and had her third child with her second husband.
Bayford remained in the Grade 2 listed property but after a series of relationships failed he put it up for sale and moved north to be closer to his children.
January 2019: Patrick and Frances Connolly
Jackpot: £115m
EuroMillions lottery winners, Frances and Patrick Connolly pose during a photocall at the Culloden Hotel near Belfast, on January 4, 2019
Former social worker and teacher Frances Connolly and her husband Patrick won almost £115 million on New Year’s Day in 2019.
She has already given away £60million to charity, as well as sharing her winnings with her friends and family, saying she is addicted to helping others.
Mrs Connolly, 55, from Northern Ireland, has already busted the charity budget she agreed for this year with husband Paddy – and has given away what they would have donated up to 2032.
She said helping others, whether with money or by volunteering her time, lifted people’s spirits during lockdown.
The lottery winner has set up two charitable foundations, one named after her late mother Kathleen Graham in their native Northern Ireland, and the PFC Trust in Hartlepool, where the couple have lived for 30 years.
Read Related Also: Princess of Wales dons a pair of diamond and pearl drop earrings to watch Remembrance Sunday service
The couple, who have three daughters – Catrina and twins Fiona and Natalie – are not extravagant with their wealth and Mrs Connolly has no desire to buy a yacht.
Their biggest expenditure after their win was a six-bedroom house in County Durham with seven acres of land, while Mr Connolly drives a second-hand Aston Martin, but Mrs Connolly scoffed at the idea of spending £13,000 on a console table.
When she saw a TV show where someone in Monaco spent £25,000 on a bottle of champagne, she immediately thought that could have put a young person on the property ladder.
July 2011: Colin and Chris Weir
Jackpot: £161.6m
Chris and Colin Weir, who were later divorced, celebrate after winning jackpot of £161.6million in July 2011 – the then record for a lottery haul
Colin and Chris Weir, from North Ayrshire, bagged a jackpot of £161.6million in July 2011 – the then record for a lottery haul.
Mr Weir sadly died aged 71 in 2019, eight years after he won the jackpot.
Mr and Mrs Weir, 62, were granted a divorce during the summer after 38 years of marriage. It is understood that they had been living apart for nearly a year prior to his death.
They had two children together, Carly and Jamie.
Mr Weir was known for his support for the SNP and his love of Partick Thistle Football Club.
He secured a majority stake in the Glasgow club in a seven-figure deal – and promised to give the 55 per cent shareholding to a fans group.
Mr Weir also helped the Jags to set up the Thistle Weir Youth Academy and a section of the club’s Firhill Stadium was named the Colin Weir Stand in his honour.
A former STV cameraman, he also made a donation to a community football club in his home town of Largs after setting up the Weir Charitable Trust in 2013 with his wife.
They had both been forced to give up work early and nursed each other through years of ill health before they became the 22nd richest people in Scotland after their £161,653,000 win.
Overnight, they entered the Sunday Times Rich List above Beatle Ringo Starr and singer Sir Tom Jones but shunned the lavish lifestyle decided to go on holiday to Brighton following.
One of the first items Mr Weir purchased following the amazing jackpot win was a checked sports jacket similar to the one worn by Scotsport legend Arthur Montford.
The couple ended up buying a number of homes, including for their son Jamie, who was working in a call centre, and daughter Carly, who was studying photography. They also bought homes for their close friends.
Soon after the life-changing windfall, they moved out of their own three-bedroom home into Knock House – a mansion set in 23 acres of gardens and woods in the hills above Largs, complete with cinema, pool and stables.
They bought it for £850,000 before selling it in 2016 to an overseas trust in a £1.4million deal.
They also went on to replaced their humble Suzuki for a £160,000 fleet of cars for the couple, their family and friends.
