Bill and Jean Dicken from Benfleet in Essex bought one of the tickets that successfully won a prize of £1 million. The married couple of 53 years were supporters of Team GB throughout the Olympics and were left in a state of disbelief when news came through regarding their big win. The pair now plan to upgrade their Peugeot and make improvements to their home before sharing the remaining funds with their two daughters and seven grandchildren.
However, Bill and Jean didn’t quite realise the extent of their win when they called to register their win with the National Lottery. Quoted by ITV News, Jean said: “I rang Camelot and told the lady that I thought we’d won £20,000 whereupon she said, ‘It’s not £20,000, congratulations, you’ve won £1m’. Well, all I could do was say ‘no’ over and over again as I tried to take it in. Poor Bill who was sitting beside me thought this meant we’d won nothing at all.”
Further north in Salford, part-time civil servant Jane Wyatt also profited from Team GB running riot in Rio as she won a sensational £1 million. The 49-year-old, who played online using a Lucky Dip ticket, told the Manchester Evening News: “When I checked my email, I saw I had won something and it asked me to log into my account. I thought it was only going to be £2 or maybe even £10. My jaw hit the floor when I saw all those zeros. It still hasn’t sunk in and I’m not sure it ever will.”
The mother-of-three, who says she has always dreamed of being a millionaire, now plans to spoil her three sons Jonathan, 22, Ben, 21, and Alex, 16, with designer clothes, top-of-the-range cars and luxury watches. “The boys have given me a long list of things they want and I’ll be sure to treat them. I’m just so happy that I’m able to give them a helping hand - something I would never have been able to do before.” However, Jane still plans to set some of the money aside for herself and has already started planning a family cruise for her 50th birthday next year.
Lotto’s special Olympic event may have passed, but there is still another chance for UK lottery players to become millionaires thanks to EuroMillions. The draws on Friday 9th September and Tuesday 13th September will see ten ticket holders (five per night) win a guaranteed sum of £1 million and a trip of a lifetime to Rio to celebrate the launch of the Paralympic Games. EuroMillions tickets are available to buy online or from any authorised retailer in the UK. Good luck!
