In their forties in the South West of England, the parents of two primary school children won £184,262,899 on Tuesday 10 May with a ticket where the winning numbers were chosen at random by the system. While some winners prefer to be discreet, they revealed their identities on television.

Jess Thwaite, 44, who runs a hair salon with her sister, said: “The outcome of this victory gives us time to dream that we didn’t have before.”

She spoke of “a huge relief”, stressing that her family, like many others, was still struggling with their bills and the end of the month.

“It’s too big for us,” says her husband, Joe, 49, a sales engineer, who usually plays when there are large amounts at stake. “I turned on the water heater the other day […] Thinking everything was fine, which was not there before,” he says, referring to the rising energy bills in the UK.

“unreal”

It was he who found that they were the lucky winners of the biggest EuroMillions jackpot ever won in the United Kingdom, and second only to what this lottery has to offer in ten European countries.

After checking on the lottery app the day after the draw, “I saw the amount. I put the phone down and then picked it up and looked at the money again […], I started counting the numbers and at that point I thought it was extraordinary but also untrue.”

The couple, who live in a house in poor condition surrounded by many animals, including ponies, dogs and even geckos, explained that they decided to share better with their family and friends. decided to come forward.

Jess and Joe Thwaite will “probably” buy a new car and take their kids on vacation to Hawaii, where they’ve always wanted to go.