Winners of biggest ever £213m EuroMillions jackpot reveal risky move that could have seen them lose the LOT
After winning a staggering £213,000,000, a family syndicate took a unique measure to protect their golden ticket.
The family, who won the money as a syndicate, described the experience as "surreal".
Their good fortune came about as one of the family members ran an errand in Co. Cork and decided to buy a EuroMillions ticket.
"Although I'm a regular player, I hadn't bought a ticket for the last two draws. I picked one up and honestly, didn't think much of it," they said.
The impromptu purchase changed the family's lives forever.
"I was watching the Nine O'Clock News and saw that someone in Ireland had the winning EuroMillions ticket," the lucky winner continued.
"So naturally, I got my ticket and scanned it on the National Lottery app, and a message popped up, 'You've won big, contact the National Lottery.'"
"I ran upstairs to my wife who had just gone to bed and woke her up," the winner said.
"We both checked the numbers multiple times on the website."
They explained that "sleep was out of the question that night" as the disbelief turned to excitement.
The couple set an early alarm to contact the National Lottery, and soon received the life-changing confirmation.
I won the EuroMillions lucky dip and I only thought I'd scored a few pounds when I got a lottery alert
Ticket precautions
While they waited to cash in, the family took extra precautions to protect their winning ticket.
However, their unique move proved potentially risky as they concealed it within an A4 sheet before placing it under a stack of laundry.
It remained in the pile of clothes in their bedroom until it could be safely delivered to the National Lottery.
Luckily, all the family members were too overwhelmed to start household chores.
While the couple made sure not to touch the laundry, they took time to process their massive win.
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Big plans
The lucky family members made a conscious effort to maintain normalcy, continuing with their daily routines despite the news.
They even sought independent legal and financial advice after handing over the winning ticket.
They revealed plans for a family getaway, and are already researching holiday homes.
"We love to travel and there's so many amazing trips we've always dreamed of that we can now make a reality," they said.
"We're already looking at holiday homes somewhere in the sun.
"We also feel incredibly fortunate now to be in a position where we can buy homes for our children too."
One syndicate member added: "I always dreamed of owning a Rolex watch, knowing that I could never afford it.
"I went window shopping last week just to have a look and couldn't believe the price tag of some of the watches.
"When I phoned my wife to tell her, she said 'sure you can buy them now if you want'. I don't think the news has really sunk in yet."
Despite the substantial win, the family shared their plans to stay normal, with one member quipping: "I'll still be having my favourite ham and cheese sambo for lunch every day!"
More Lotto stories
While the family took care of their golden ticket, not everyone has been so lucky, here's a round-up of winners who have lost their tickets.
One scratchcard winner lost out on his winnings after his dog got a hold of the ticket.
Another person who won a jackpot worth millions explained how he lost out on the money over a technicality.
And a map reveals all the current unclaimed winnings across the UK.
One family searched everywhere when they couldn't find their million-pound winning lottery ticket.
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