I was on Universal Credit but just won £10k a month on Set For Life, I've made a £17k swanky buy but there is a downside

The Sun

12-07-2025

MANY people dream of winning the lottery, but for Olivia Love, who was on Universal Credit at the time, it has just become a reality.
While some would be hesitant to broadcast the news, Olivia and her hubby Kevin have been speaking out about the life-changing prize in more detail on TikTok.
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Olivia and Kevin, from Glasgow, bagged £10,000 a month for the next 12 months, which works out as £120,000 in total, thanks to The National Lottery 's Set for Life, and have already been e njoying splashing the cash.
The delighted prize winner did a Q&A video this week giving some more information about how it has been so far, since winning in June.
Olivia shared on her @mrsolivialove account: 'The draw took place on the Thursday evening, I found out on the Friday morning and the money went into my account the following Thursday.
'It is a standing order so it comes into my account on the same day every month.'
SPLASHING OUT
Many people fantasise about the first thing they'd buy if they won a jackpot and Olivia revealed her initial expense.
She continued: 'I was on my way to the hairdressers when the money actually reached my account.
'So I pulled over, took some cash out of the machine to pay the hairdresser.'
However, Olivia has since made some larger purchases too, and revealed the most expensive item she has bought so far.
She shared: 'I bought my husband a new car and that came to about £17,000-18,000.
'I can't remember the specifics of it, but we did buy him a Vauxhall Corsa.'
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FIRST BIG HOLIDAY
Recently, she documented her family's "first holiday as lottery winners" to North Wales with their four kids and Kevin's parents.
They hired a stunning four-bedroom 17th century farmhouse for the week and spent just £2,202.06 in total including car rental, food, and accommodation.
The draw took place on the Thursday evening, I found out on the Friday morning and the money went into my account the following Thursday
Olivia Love
And Olivia, who previously had to ' budget every penny,' has defended her decision to staycation in the UK instead of splashing the cash on a long-haul flight to an exotic destination.
While enjoying the sunshine in her Welsh garden, she said: "To everyone that said 'why aren't you going to like the Maldives? You've won the lottery'. It's like 32 degrees and I'm in North Wales. Who needs the Maldives when you have this?
"We're in a beautiful old farmhouse. It's just so stunning.'
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QUIT HER JOB
Olivia, 36, was also able to quit her job at a local supermarket and hopes to build her dream career in wedding content creation thanks to the massive tax-free prize.
Before this, the mum-of-four was earning just £800 a month working in a supermarket's customer service kiosk.
Not only this, but she was also on Universal Credit to subsidise her eye-watering £1,800-a-month childcare costs and "dreaded" her council tax bill.
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LIFE-CHANGING MOMENT
Set For Life offers a top prize of £10,000 a month for 30 years when the five main numbers and the Life Ball are matched.
Players can also win £10,000 a month for a whole year by matching the five main numbers.
Olivia revealed she did six lucky dips at £1.50 each on the app, with one of them bagging the second tier prize of the cash for a year.
She's never played her own numbers, explaining: 'I've always had the fear that if you did play your own numbers the one time you didn't play it, that would be the time your numbers came in.'
She was shocked when she received an email from The National Lottery team at 12.33am on May 16 June that changed everything for this couple.
The winning numbers in the draw were: 03, 27, 42, 45, 46, plus Life Ball 06.
Before she won, she had been playing sporadically for four to five months and would play when she had the 'notion to do it.'
And despite winning, she still hasn't stopped buying lucky dips 'from time to time.'
DOWNSIDE
While buying items like her hubby's car has brought her 'so much joy', there are some downsides to the winnings.
Olivia has had people message her to beg for money, with one saying: 'Can I have like £20,000 to pay my debts off?'
I've always had the fear that if you did play your own numbers the one time you didn't play it, that would be the time your numbers came in
Olivia Love
As a result, the Lottery winner said: "I've got my dms very closed.'
Since going public with her win, Olivia has hilariously joked about wiping away fake tears with £20 notes in response to cruel comments from trolls.
However, she said it has changed her life for the better, saying: 'I feel like I can be more present now. Enjoy more moments.
'The stress I felt before stopped me enjoying the little things.'
What are my chances of winning the lottery?
EVERYONE wants to know how to beat the odds and win the lottery.
But unfortunately, the lottery is a game of luck and there are no tips or tricks that can guarantee you'll take home a top prize.
The odds show how likely you are to win any particular prize - the lower the number, the better the odds.
For example, odds of 1 in 10 are better than odds of 1 in 100 or 1 in 1,000.
There are several major lottery games in the UK including Lotto by the National Lottery, Camelot's EuroMillions and Thunderball.
Chances of winning the Lotto
Lotto by the National Lottery is a game where you pick six numbers from 1 to 59. You can play up to seven lines of numbers on each slip.
The game costs £2 to play per slip.
The odds of winning any prize on the Lotto are 1 in 9.3.
But to win the jackpot on the Lotto, the odds are considerably slimmer.
To bag the top prize, you need to have six matching balls. The odds of doing this and scooping the jackpot are currently 1 in 45,057,474.
The next highest prize of £1,000,000 is for getting five main matching balls plus the bonus ball.
The odds of taking home the million pound prize are 1 in 7,509,579 - far higher than the jackpot, but still unlikely.
The odds of taking home £1,750 for getting five main numbers without the bonus ball are 1 in 2,180, while you have a 1 in 97 chance of bagging £140 for getting four main numbers.
Your chances of taking home £30 for getting 3 main numbers are much better at 1 in 97.
And you have a roughly 1 in 10 chance of getting a free lucky dip for 2 matching numbers.
Chances of winning the EuroMillions
The EuroMillions costs £2.50 to play and is open on Tuesdays and Fridays.
To play, you must pick five numbers from 1-50 and two "Lucky Stars" from 1-12. Players with the most matching numbers win the top prizes.
Your chance of bagging the EuroMillions jackpot is even slimmer than winning the top Lotto prize.
This is because it generally has higher jackpots on offer, meaning it attracts more attention.
Currently, the odds of matching five numbers and two lucky stars - the top win - stand at 1 in 139,838,160.
The average jackpot prize is £57,923,499, according to EuroMillions.
The odds of winning the second top prize for matching 5 balls and a lucky star, which is typically around £262,346, are 1 in 6,991,908.
The chances of taking home the third prize for five matching balls, with an average payout of £26,277, are 1 in 3,107,515.
For four matching balls with two lucky stars, it's 1 in 621,503, and for four balls with one lucky star, it's 1 in 31,076. These come with an average prize of £1,489 and £95, respectively.
Chances of winning the Thunderball
Thunderball is another game run by National Lottery where you pick five numbers and one "Thunderball". It costs just £1 to play and you can enter up to four times a week.
The jackpot of £500,000 for matching five balls plus the Thunderball is 1 in 8,060,598.
Your odds of bagging the next highest prize of £5,000 for matching five balls is currently 1 in 620,046, while the chances of winning £250 for four balls plus the Thunderball is 1 in 47,416.
You have the best chance of winning £3 for matching the Thunderball, with odds of 1 in 29.