A couple who scooped £184million on EuroMillions to become Britain's biggest lottery winners ever have splashed out on their first major purchase - a second-hand Volvo estate car.
Joe, 49, and Jess Thwaite, 44, were spotted in a £38,000 grey V60 when they arrived for a meeting with builders. It is believed that rather than spend millions on a new home, they are continuing with renovations they had already started on their existing property, a grade II-listed house.
And they have taken the same down-to-earth approach to their new transport, as The Mirror reports. While the Volvo is the "big upgrade" Joe promised to his battered old Hyundai, it is far from the supercars many major lottery winners drive off in.
Joe, a communication sales engineer, has admitted he is “not a great car person” and said his dream motor was a Skoda Superb estate “because of the amount of stuff you can get in the boot”.
He said at the time they revealed their big win: “I’m going to get something that does the job and is a big upgrade to my old little car that’s covered in dents.”
Joe and Jess, who runs the business side of a hair salon she co-owns with her sister, only recently moved into their home with their two children, both at primary school. They said they are "not sure anyone is really prepared for a win like this".
Despite the Thwaites' newfound wealth, neighbours are not surprised they are refusing to be reckless with their cash. One told The Sun: "They’re mega lottery winners but first and foremost they’re down-to-earth people who have worked hard their whole lives.
"The car is smart, respectable and sensible — just like Joe and Jess. You might expect them to go and buy a Ferrari or a Bugatti. The fact that they’ve not splurged it all on sports cars or booze shows what great people they are."
The couple, who won with a Lucky Dip ticket on the National Lottery app, previously explained they didn't want to hide their win from loved ones so decided to go public. Jess said: “I don’t want to lie to family and friends, I want to enjoy it with them.
“Maybe, naively, I thought we could tell a few people and it would be fine. But the list gets longer and soon you realise it would be a burden asking them to keep it quiet. Telling people makes it easier.”
Joe said: "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, 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!"
In the UK, winners have the right to remain anonymous - with six in 10 opting to do so. This includes the second-biggest winner after the Thwaites, who won £170million in 2019.
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