Ex husband of £61m EuroMillions winner has cheeky message for his former wife

22 February 2024 , 22:00

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Richard and Debbie Nuttall won the Euromillions jackpot (Image: Reach Commissioned)

The ex-hubby of EuroMillions winner Debbie Nuttall has joked: “She can donate some to me, if she likes.”

Paul Ridge had not seen his ex-wife for 30 years until a woman who “looked familiar” appeared on the news brandishing a cheque for £61million. They wed in a register office in 1992 but Paul claims they split within weeks.

Now, the delivery driver and current wife Paula, 57, have wished the jackpot winners all the best and said there are “no hard feelings”. And Paul, 67, joked: “She can donate some of her winnings to me, if she likes. I’d be very grateful!”

Debbie and husband Richard were celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary in the Canary Islands when they realised they’d bagged the jackpot. The pair flew home to confirm the win before taking the entire family out for a fry-up breakfast to celebrate.

Speaking of the moment he saw news of his ex’s win, Paul, of Colne, Lancs, said: “It mentioned Colne. I looked at the photo and said, ‘She looks slightly familiar’. She looked a lot different but she did look slightly familiar.”

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Debbie and husband Richard were celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary when they realised they’d bagged the jackpot (Reach Commissioned)

Paul was a club DJ aged 35 when he met Debbie, who was 13 years younger. They wed after a “whirlwind romance” but the relationship quickly fizzled out.

Dad-of-two Paul said: “I have no hard feelings. It’s life, we all make mistakes. I wish her all the best. Nobody died, it was no big deal, really. Good luck to them. I’m sure they will enjoy themselves spending it.”

Paula added: “Congratulations. All the best to them.”

Meanwhile, accountant Richard and Debbie, who works for a civil engineering firm, plan to retire early and buy a second home in Portugal to spend more time with their two girls and three granddaughters. They have already splashed out on a new BMW X5.

Debbie’s dad John, 74, has spoken how she waited to tell him about the huge win face-to-face. He told the Mirror: “She said, ‘You might want to sit down for this’. I was dumbfounded but it couldn’t happen to a nicer couple.”

John also said it was “more than likely” Debbie would do something charitable in memory of cousin Ben King, who died at 27 from a rare auto-immune disease.

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