06 December 2023 , 15:10
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One lucky Brit could become the highest-ever EuroMillions winner if they land Friday's £201million jackpot.
The ticket holder will become the seventh EuroMillions winner in the country this year, beating the current record of £195m which was won by an anonymous couple in 2022. Overnight, the winner would become one of the nation's 1,000 richest people — worth more than stars like Robbie Williams, Sir Tom Jones and Ed Sheeran — just in time for Christmas shopping. The winner would be able to purchase a football club if they wanted, with Southampton FC, for example, being bought in January last year for £100m. Alternatively, they could snap up a fleet of 500 Rolls Royce Phantoms.
Only 18 players have ever won a jackpot of more than £100 million, with the most recent pair winning £195million on EuroMillions in July 2022. Joe and Jess Thwaite, from Gloucestershire, were the second largest UK Jackpot winners. The pair, who have been married for 11 years, said they wanted to go public because they did not want to put the "burden" of keeping the secret on others. After receiving the shocking news, Joe started browsing million-pound mansions on the property website Rightmove as he and his wife had been thinking of moving out of their home in Gloucestershire for a while.
Joe Thwaite, 49, and Jess Thwaite, 46, from Gloucestershire (PA)After their win, Mr and Mrs Thwaite said they bought a chest of drawers and a wardrobe, then had dinner with their family to celebrate the happy news. Jess said: "We've had a family meal, we went and had a family meal so we could share with our family. To tell the truth, we bought bedroom furniture. We bought a chest of drawers and a wardrobe. Other than that we haven't done anything. My dad played the National Lottery all his life and constantly dreamed of winning. He'd always ask us what we'd do when we won, how we'd spend it, who we'd treat. It was a regular conversation and I feel like he was preparing us."
Joe said: "The family always ask me if I have a ticket for the big draws. While I don’t play every week, I do a Lucky Dip when there is a big jackpot. Although I don't feel like I’ve had a lot of luck in the past." He added: "I looked it up and saw we'd won. I saw how much and I didn’t know what to do. I couldn' 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!"
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Colin and Chris Weir from Largs, North Ayrshire won £161.6million in July 2011, making them the biggest UK winners at the time. Their jackpot is now the third biggest ever won in the UK. Mr Weir invested £2.5million in his beloved Partick Thistle football club – acquiring a 55 per cent shareholding. The couple also set up the Weir Charitable Trust in 2013 and donated £1million to the Scottish independence referendum in 2014. They divorced in 2019.