
'I help lottery winners' dreams come true - this is what they've asked for'
So you've won the lottery and have more money than you can spend in a lifetime, what now? Meet the 'fixer' who solves problems and turns millionaire's dreams into a reality. Amanda Herrera leads a specialist concierge team catering to the requests of the country's richest people into reality - including National Lottery winners.
From flying pets on private jets, booking luxury cruises to Antarctica or arranging meet-and-greets with celebrities, Amanda's team has handled over 5,000 bespoke requests from more than 600 overnight millionaires. Describing her role as the 'best job in the world ', Amanda revealed it all started when she lost her bag while holidaying in the Caribbean.
'It all started with my beach bag being washed out to sea after I popped out for lunch. I returned to my lounger, and it had gone! The time and trouble it took me to sort everything was unreal," she said.
"My bag had my everything in it. It made me think 'wouldn't it be great if there was someone who could do all of this for me' and take away the hassle of this mishap while I am on my dream holiday.
'Not only this but having someone to help arrange my holiday for me was something that I thought pretty much anyone in the world would appreciate - particularly people with more money than most who might have more on their to-do list to organise. All this led to me really having the best job in the world. I love helping and supporting people.'
In the last five years, Amanda's team has spent over £4 million chartering private jets and booked more than 500 dream holidays - including some where they have flown out the family dog. They've hunted down exclusive designer handbags and watches, booked VIP trips to the Monaco Grand Prix and world cricket tours, organised meet and greets with superstars and even arranged a private viewing of Cirque de Soleil on a desert island.
Amanda added, 'It can be a daunting experience - it sounds crazy to say - but imagine going from having a small amount of money in the bank to suddenly having millions - just like that! It is one incredible journey that these winners are embarking on, and I feel so honoured to be able to play such an important role in crafting and creating bespoke and unforgettable once-in-a-lifetime experiences for these incredibly lucky individuals.
'It is an amazing feeling to be helping people to live and fulfil their dreams following their National Lottery win. Many of these people are just so overwhelmed with excitement at the prospect of what their new life now means - they simply don't know where to start and what to do with their new-found fortunes and this is where we can step in to help, reassure and guide them on their journey to living their ultimate dream and fulfilling their bucket list.'
All big winners receive specialist advice and support from a team of experts at Allwyn, operators of The National Lottery, including financial, legal and wellbeing support.
Top 10 most popular requests from National Lottery winners
VIP tickets to see their favourite football team around the world
Splashing out on a family world cruise
Hiring a private jet to transport family and even pets abroad
Treating the family to a Christmas trip to Lapland
Purchasing designer handbags
Investing in designer watches
Securing concert/gig box tickets and VIP meet and greet with their favourite music bands
Flying business class
Planning a luxurious family party
Buying a box at their favourite football club

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Where is Brookside's Heather Huntington now? Actress Amanda Burton's glittering career revealed
Amanda Burton has become a staple of our television screens over the years, featuring in dozens of popular series Amanda Burton is one of many stars who have beloved soap Brookside to thank for launching her career. The series, shot in Liverpoool, is returning to our screens through a special crossover episode with Hollyoaks. It helped put the likes of Amanda on the map after she left her native Northern Ireland as a teen in hopes of pursuring an acting career. Since then, Burton has become a fixture on our television screens throughout the years, appearing in numerous series. She starred prominently in dramas such as Silent Witness and Waterloo Road, and has taken on roles in programmes including Midsomer Murders and more recently the crime series Marcella. Now 68, she has relished a diverse career and leads a peaceful existence by the seaside on England's south coast in Sussex. However, her life began with a humble start in a small town in Northern Ireland. Born in 1956 as the youngest of four daughters, Amanda was raised in Ballougry on the south-western edges of Derry City, where her family lived adjacent to Ballougry Primary School. Her father, Arthur Burton, worked as a headmaster at the school, which she attended throughout her youth. Her mother, of English heritage, was a descendant of Oscar Wilde. Being the youngest, she was constantly urged to embrace life's possibilities. "I had the most wonderful parents and the most idyllic childhood," she told the Express in 2016. "Both my mum and dad had an incredible zest for life and if that's your blueprint as you grow up, it's the way you tend to live your own life, too." At the tender age of 18, she relocated to England to pursue her studies at Manchester Polytechnic School of Film, TV and Theatre. Shortly after graduating, she joined the cast of Brookside, taking on the role of accountant Heather Huntington. Heather marked Amanda's debut in television, and she quickly became a fan favourite. The Northern Irish actress graced 143 episodes of the long-standing Channel 4 soap from 1982. Following the breakdown of her marriage, Heather was involved in unforgettable storylines including the death of her second husband Nicholas Black - prompting her to revert to her character's maiden name of Haversham. She bid farewell to the soap after a four-year run in 1986. After making guest appearances in shows like Inspector Morse and landing a leading role in Peak Practice over a decade, she assumed the main role of Professor Sam Ryan in the popular BBC drama Silent Witness. She remained on the show until 2004, but made a comeback in 2021. Much like her former Brookside co-star Anna Friel, Burton later featured on the detective series Marcella. The actress also played headteacher Karen Fisher in the school-based drama Waterloo Road for 28 episodes. In 1976, Burton tied the knot with theatre technician Jonathan Hartley, whom she met whilst studying at Manchester School of Theatre. They parted ways in 1982. In 1989, she wed professional photographer Sven Arnstein, with whom she had two daughters before their split in 2004. Burton now lives near Brighton - the filming location for her crime drama The Level.


The Sun
8 hours ago
- The Sun
Who is Amanda Knox and was she found guilty in Meredith Kercher murder slander case?
AMANDA Knox is part of a new documentary about her wrongful conviction releasing on Disney+. 4 Who is Amanda Knox? Amanda Knox is an American author and journalist, best known for being wrongly convicted of the murder of British student Meredith Kercher in 2007. Knox was attending the University for Foreigners in Perugia on an exchange year from the University of Washington. While there, she started dating Raffaele Sollecito, a 23-year-old Italian student, and worked in a bar. But on November 2, 2007, Amanda's life changed forever. Knox arrived at her home, later telling police that she noticed that the front door was open and there was dried blood in the bathroom. After calling the police, the body of roommate Meredith was found inside her locked bedroom. Knox and then-boyfriend Sollecito were convicted of stabbing 21-year-old Kercher to death at a flat in Perugia, Italy, in 2007. In 2009, the pair were jailed, with Know receiving a 26 year sentence, and Sollecito receiving 25 years. Knox and Sollecito were acquitted of murder on March 27, 2015, by the Italian supreme court. Judges said that there were a litany of errors regarding the case, including a stark lack of evidence to suggest that either Knox or Sollecito were involved. After her experience, she said that people had flocked to apologise to her – even stopping her in the street to say sorry for jumping to conclusions about her. Knox recently spoke to a panel of lawyers and discussed the effect the case had on her family and how the case came to define her; and featured in a Netflix documentary about her experiences. She married poet and author Christopher Robinson in 2018. In 2021, Knox and Robinson welcomed their first child together. The baby was named Eureka Know Robinson. She took to Instagram to share her news. Since my exoneration, I've struggled to reclaim my identity and protect the people I love from being exploited as tabloid content. It's not easy, and I often feel like I'm trying to invent good choices out of bad whole cloth. I know that I cannot 100% protect my daughter from the kind of treatment I've suffered, but I'm doing the best I can. Which is why this will be the only picture of her I will ever share on social media. I'm so grateful to everyone who has wished @emceecarbon and I well on our journey to parenthood. Thank you for believing in us.' Amanda Knox on Instagram Knox believes that she has had to carry the burden for the murder of Kercher, saying that her real killer, Rudy Guede, is almost forgotten due to the high media presence surrounding the case. In 2024, Knox was back in court in Italy. She was re-convicted of a charge related to the brutal 2007 killing of Meredith Kercher. On June 5th, I will walk into the very same courtroom where I was reconvicted of a crime I didn't commit, this time to defend myself yet again. I hope to clear my name once and for all of the false charges against me. Wish me luck.' Amanda Knox Knox was found guilty of slander for falsely accusing Patrick Lumumba, a Congolese bar owner, of killing Kercher. Lumumba was held for two weeks in 2007 before he was freed without charge. But despite being sentenced to three years in jail, the mum-of-two will not serve any more jail time, as the three years count as time already served. Who was Meredith Kercher? Meredith Kercher was born in Southwark, South London on 28 December, 1985. She lived in Coulsdon, a town within the London borough of Croydon. The 21-year-old was last seen on November 1 of that year, with her body found in a pool of blood in her bedroom the next day. An autopsy conducted on her body found that her throat had been cut and she had been stabbed almost 50 times. It also found that she had 16 bruises, including on her nose and mouth, as well as suffering injuries related to sexual assault. In 2007, fingerprints were identified at the scene as belonging to Rudy Guede, who was ultimately charged and sentenced for the brutal murder. He was granted early release in November 2021. The case attracted global media interest, with Knox at the centre. Did Amanda Knox get any compensation? Knox was awarded a £16,000 payout after winning a European Human Rights Court case against the Italian government on January 24, 2019. At the Court, she said Italian police had infringed her rights by failing to provide her with a lawyer, an interpreter, and not following proper procedure. She also insisted she had been slapped by cops during questioning but judges ruled there was no proof of that. They wrote: 'There was insufficient evidence to conclude that Ms Knox had actually sustained the inhuman or degrading treatment of which she had complained.' Within minutes of the decision, Knox, who now lives in Seattle, issued a statement again insisting she was hit. She said: 'I was interrogated for 53 hours over five days, without a lawyer, in a language I understood maybe as well as a ten-year-old. 'When I told police I had no idea who had killed Meredith I was slapped in the back of the head and told to 'Remember.'' Sources in Italy said Knox had been looking for £1.7m compensation but the ECHR gave her £9,000 damages and £6,900 towards costs. There was no immediate response from the Italian government, which has three months to reply. What happened to Raffaele Sollecito? Raffaele Sollecito was cleared of the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher after spending nearly four years in jail. The Italian man has since said that the convictions ruined his life, demanding £400,000 to cover legal costs that he incurred while trying to clear his name. 4 This bid was rejected in 2017, on the grounds that Sollecito made 'contradictory or even frankly untrue' statements in the early stages of the investigation, which equated to 'intent or gross negligence.' He said: 'There were many victims in this case. Amanda [Knox] 's parents, my parents, all our families… there are many others made by the prosecution's mistakes.' He then added that people did not understand why he had been acquitted, saying: 'I have to face this kind of society. I have to face anybody that doesn't support me.' Sollecito now works as a computer engineer in Milan. , a town they were planning to visit before being arrested for Kercher's murder. What happened to Rudy Guede? Rudy Guede was born December 26, 1986, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He was convicted of the murder and sexual assault of Meredith Kercher in October 2008, and sentenced to 30 years behind bars. However, this was reduced to 16 years. 4 Guede was released from prison on November 24, 2021 after having served 13 years of his sentence. He was allowed out 45 days early for good behaviour. What's in the Disney+ documentary? A new documentary illustrating the story of Amanda Knox has been released by Disney Plus, with the first two episodes premiering on August 20. The TV show will be eight episodes long, with new instalments arriving every Wednesday until concluding on October 1. 'The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox' depicts Amanda's 15-year fight to clear her name, focusing on the investigation, courtroom twists, and shocking narratives- inspired by Amanda Knox's real life story. Amanda Knox executively produced the limited series herself, giving a real understanding to her own characters emotional struggle and mental state throughout the series. How to watch the Amanda Knox documentary The Amanda Knox documentary is available to watch on streaming platform Disney+ for UK and Hulu for US subscribers. Grace Van Patten stars as Amanda Knox in the programme, which is billed as a fascinating blend of media bias and of courage, hope, and forgiveness. UK viewers can sign up to watch Disney+ on smart devices or through the TV.


Daily Mirror
8 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
I've travelled every continent - this is the most underrated city I've ever seen
A travel lover who has visited all seven continents has revealed the 'underrated city' she'd love to go back to A travel blogger who has visited all seven continents has revealed the 'most underrated city' she'd go back to in 'a heartbeat'. Travel lover and photographer @Amanda_wanders regularly shares travel inspiration and tips with her 40,000 TikTok followers. She's visited countless beloved destinations and lesser-known spots. In one video, Amanda heaped praise on a European city that she thinks deserves more praise — and the flight time from the UK is under three hours. Sharing the recommendation, Amanda told followers: "I've been to all seven continents and this is my most underrated city. Tallin, Estonia." In her video, she shared several videos from her visit to the historic capital city, known for its medieval architecture and 'fairy tale' streets, and it's easy to see why she loved her visit. Amanda's caption added: "Legit without question this is the most underrated city I've ever been to and I would go back again a heartbeat!" Found on the Baltic Sea, Tallinn is Estonia's largest city. Visit Tallinn says: "Tallinn is a cosy capital with clean air and a relaxed vibe. Historical and cultural legacies from different eras contrast with its vibrant and creative urban environment. "Tallinn enchants with its medieval Old Town, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, varied districts and rich urban nature. A lively, year-round cultural scene and culinary delights inspired by local traditions and Nordic cuisine add further layers of interest." Expanding on the history of the Old Town, the tourism website adds: "A UNESCO World Heritage site, Tallinn's Old Town is a fairy tale come to life. Here you will find the oldest continually operating apothecary in Europe, the St Olaf's church, what was once the world's tallest building, Northern Europe's mightiest defensive wall and system of towers dating to the Middle Ages, and one of the best-preserved Gothic town halls. The first public Christmas tree in Europe was also erected in Tallinn. "The Old Town is Tallinn's beating and burgeoning heart to this day. Cosy cafés tucked in inner courtyards, world-class restaurants, intriguing contemporary art galleries, exciting museums, and a year-round event calendar all make Tallinn's Old Town a source of admiration and discovery. For a place so historic, it always has something new to offer." While it's not the only attraction, the Old Town is the most popular with Tripadvisor reviews, which have ranked it as the number one thing to do in Tallinn, out of hundreds of entries. One impressed visitor said: "A beautiful old town. A really excellent old town, even with its city walls just wonderful. Add to that the many small streets and very well restored/preserved houses just wonderful to walk in warm temperatures there. "Also recommended is the ascent to the upper town, because from there the view of Tallinn is again so beautiful." Another comment reads: "You will spend hours here and you will constantly find something to be in awe of. Plenty of historical sites, restaurants and things to see and do. Such a beautiful city." Someone else thought: "Tallinn is a really delightful city! It is definitely worth a visit, especially if you are fond of medieval architecture and like to lose yourself in romantic alleys that pop out onto beautiful parks and breathtaking views of the city towers. "Tallinn isn't huge, so if you're going fast and fast, you'll just need a weekend to explore the bulk of the old town, although a calmer and more reflective visit is obviously preferable. Do not miss the opportunity to taste the typical Estonian cuisine in the many restaurants of the old town!"