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Lottery Winner Bags £76m Jackpot Despite Not Realising For Six Weeks

Lottery Winner Bags £76m Jackpot Despite Not Realising For Six Weeks

Over a month without knowing he never had to work again...

Tom Wood

Tom Wood

A man from Lincolnshire has hit the EuroMillions jackpot and instantly become almost as rich as Ed Sheeran - but didn't realise for nearly six weeks.

Andrew Clark, from Boston, scooped the £76.3m jackpot but - due a habit of hoarding things in his van - he was driving around and working as a builder in the cold and wet winter months while he had his retirement package and much more sat in a pile.

Andrew Clark and Trisha Fairhurst.
PA

Eventually, his partner's niece Louise said that he should check his tickets. It was then that he made the life-changing discovery.

In a state of shock, he called up his partner Trisha Fairhurst who - obviously - thought that he was pulling her leg to start with.

51-year-old Andrew said: "It was about 8pm and we were watching telly when Louise reminded me again about the tickets.

"I finally gave in, got the bundle out of the van and started to work my way through them, methodically from the oldest to the most recent, starting with Lotto, before moving on to my EuroMillions tickets.

"You might say I was slightly winding up Louise, but I certainly didn't expect the wind up to end with me saying 'I've done it, I've won £76M' - I won't say what she said in response!"

They scooped a £76m EuroMillions jackpot.
PA

He continued: "Trisha kept telling me to check the tickets, and her niece Louise, who I was building an extension for, was also in on it once she'd heard about the unclaimed prize in the news,

"It was something of a standing joke that I had all these tickets while there was a local prize outstanding, so for weeks they were on at me to check."

Needless to say, Trisha wasn't expecting a phone call to tell her that her partner had won £76m. She was just about to spend the evening in their house, quietly.

She said: "I'd just got back from work and was settling in for a quiet evening when Andrew called and said, 'You know that £76m, well I've just won it',

"Obviously I didn't believe a word of it, even when my niece came on the phone to say it was true I still couldn't take it in.

"It started to seem real when he called back and said, 'Honestly, it's real, so start looking for a mansion' - bang went my quiet evening, I didn't sleep a wink."

PA

They now plan to use the cash to help their family out in various ways, paying off mortgages, supporting future plans. You know, doing good stuff for the people they love. Oh, and of course Andrew has now retired.

Trisha continued: "It's been great choosing a new home and cars but without question, the best bit about the win is how we can help all our family.

"We can quite simply change their lives, whether that's paying off mortgages or supporting them in their future endeavours, it's been amazing to put a smile on everyone's face, and the fact it's at Christmas makes it that little bit more magical."

PA

Andy Carter, from the National Lottery, added: "What a win for one lucky UK ticket-holder.

"This is the 12th biggest winner ever in the UK and we very much look forward to toasting their win. Just imagine the Christmas this lucky ticket-holder is now able to look forward to."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: UK News, Money, UK