Almost Never Happened
The lucky friends matched the numbers 5, 12, 17, 33 and 41, plus Lucky Stars 4 and 9, in the draw on 3rd November, becoming the UK’s seventh jackpot winners of 2017. They came forward on Wednesday to be presented with their giant cheque, and revealed that the big win almost never happened.
Louise Ward, 37, told the assembled press at Hensol Castle that she had been thinking about leaving the syndicate so that she could save more money ahead of her wedding next March. She ended up staying with the group, and it was the numbers she selected which came up. Louise said: “Imagine if I’d stopped, they were my numbers, so we’d never have won.”
EuroMillions High Roller
Louise is now looking forward to having as many guests at her wedding as she likes, while her winning companions are also excited about what they could do with the money. Doreen Thompson, 56, has set her sights on a family trip to Florida, while Julie Amphlett, 50, says she will be buying ‘absolutely everything’, including a new house, car, handbag and shoes.
Syndicate leader Julie Saunders, meanwhile, wants to jet off to Las Vegas to see if her winning streak continues. She said: “I've always wanted to go and now I can be a high roller. It has been a dream to play the machines...maybe I'll have another win.”
Couldn’t Believe It
Five of the women turned up at the hospital at the same time to hand in their notice. The sixth member, Jean Cairns, 73, retired as a catering manager last year after more than 38 years in the job. She said: “When Julie came to the house to tell me I thought someone had died. She told me to sit down and said to me: 'We've won the lottery.' I just could not believe it.”
As the lucky syndicate looks forward to a happy Christmas and beyond, EuroMillions fans across Europe can think about what they would do with a big win ahead of the next draw this Friday. Tickets can be bought from authorised retailers in any of the participating countries, or you can choose numbers online. Good luck!
