A couple who have become Britain's biggest ever lottery winners after scooping nearly £185million have revealed what they now plan on doing with the money.
Joe and Jess Thwaite are celebrating scooping the record-breaking EuroMillions jackpot on Tuesday.
After confirming with Camelot they had in fact won the eye-watering Euromillions jackpot on Tuesday, Joe, 49, and Jess, 44, said their plans for the win now include supporting their family and taking their children on dream holidays.
Joe admitted he spotted the winning numbers as his wife lay asleep, but chose not to wake her as he started looking for new properties for the family.
The conversation soon became emotional as they both realised the impact the win could have for their entire family.
The couple have decided to share news of their win so they can get on and enjoy their new and exciting life.
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 and Jess now plan to support members of the family, and the sense of relief from knowing that everyone would be alright moved Jess and her mum to tears.
Jess said: “Just like many people and families across the country, the last few years have been hard.
''My sister and I have tried to look after the business and the 20 staff, but times are difficult in hairdressing.
''Joe has been working hard and we have always tried to put everything into doing the best we can for the children.”
The couple have only recently moved into a new home, which has delivered on the dream they always had for their children.
Despite needing a lot of work, the new house gave the family space for friends and loved ones to visit, as well as space for their collection of animals.
With three dogs, five chickens, two geckos and three ponies, two of which are loaned, the couple wanted to give their children a country-type lifestyle.
Jess said, “I was lucky enough to ride growing up and it is something we have always wanted to give to our children.
''Like many parents, we stretch ourselves to give our kids everything we can.
''I always wanted them to be able to get up in their pyjamas, put wellies on and go out and feed the ponies and they can do that here.
''The fact the roof leaks and the house needs renovating was OK as it was the life we dreamed of for our family.”
Joe said, “I have been working hard and then doing DIY on the house and you realise that you are missing out on family time.
''This win gives us time. From 5am each day we are chasing our tails until we go to bed.
''Just like any family, the diary is always full and the job list is long.
''We don’t have money for family days out or holidays and we want to use our good fortune to spend more time together making memories and going on adventures.”
Joe said: “I’d love to watch Gloucester or England rugby live with the kids but we have only really been able to watch on TV.
''I’d love us all to get on a plane and go on a holiday, somewhere sunny.
''It’ll be great to spend more time with my brother. We both work really hard and rarely see each other, it’ll be amazing to now be able to spend time together.”
Jess said, “Our two children have always talked about going to Hawaii, I’ve no idea why but we can now make that dream come true.
''They have always wanted a horse box for our ponies rather than the run down trailer we use.
''Just to see their faces when we can make these things come true will be worth every penny.”
Jess said, “The win gives us time to dream, which we haven’t had before. We’ve had one week to think about this and we now have time to share lots of experiences together.”
The winning numbers in the EuroMillions draw on Tuesday May 10, 2022 were 03, 25, 27, 28, 29 and the two Lucky Stars were 04 and 09. In the draw over 1M UK players won a cash prize.
