Joe and Jess Thwaite Revealed as Record EuroMillions Winners
Last Updated: Thursday 19th May 2022, 13:11
The UK’s biggest EuroMillions winners have said they have ‘time to dream’ after claiming a jackpot worth £184 million. Joe and Jess Thwaite, from Gloucester, were presented as the record-breakers at a media event in Cheltenham.
Introduced to the press by TV presenter Dermot O’Leary, they reflected on a memorable couple of weeks since Joe bought the winning Lucky Dip ticket just a few hours before the draw took place on 10th May.
The night passed without the couple, who are both in their 40s, realising that they had won, but Joe soon checked the results when he got up to walk the dogs at 5:15am the next day.
Admitting he didn’t know what to do, Joe said: “I couldn't 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."
After calling the National Lottery to start the claims process, both of them headed out to work. She runs a hairdressing salon, while he is a communication sales manager.
‘Ready to Win’
The win was validated before long, allowing the couple to come forward publicly within days of the draw. Jess said her father would have loved to see them as lottery winners, having been a devoted National Lottery player before he passed away seven years ago.
Before his death, she explained that her dad ‘would always ask us what we’d do when we won’. She continued: “It was a regular conversation and I feel like he was preparing us. Maybe that is why I seem so chilled, as I've kind of been ready to win for years."
The Thwaites are now looking forward to sharing lots of experiences and adventures with friends and family members. They recently bought a ‘dream house’ so that their two children could enjoy a ‘country-type’ lifestyle, complete with three dogs, five chickens, two geckos and three ponies.
“Like many parents, we stretch ourselves to give our kids everything we can,” said Jess.
“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.”
The jackpot claimed by the Thwaites surpassed the previous record by £14 million. An anonymous player won £170 million in October 2019.