Joe and Jess Thwaite were confirmed as the winners of Britain’s biggest lottery jackpot ever – a massive £184 million.
An anonymous cardholder held the previous record, taking £170 million to the bank in October 2019 – one of only 14 players to ever hit a jackpot of over £100 million.
It is the second time lucky numbers have appeared in a EuroMillions jackpot for a British winner this year, with £109 million claimed just days after a big win on 4 February.
UK lottery winners have the option to reveal their identities or remain obnoxious.
From the UK National Lottery’s rich list, only three out of ten winners have chosen to reveal themselves.
August 2012: Adrian and Gillian Bayford
Jackpot: £148 million
Adrian Bayford and then his wife Gillian, from Haverhill, Suffolk, photographed in August 2021 after it was announced they had won a jackpot of just over £148 million
In August 2012, Mr and Mrs Bayford won €190 million in a EuroMillions draw, which amounted to just over £148 million.
The couple used their profits to buy a Grade II listed Cambridgeshire estate, complete with cinema and billiards room.
But within a year their marriage ended and Gillian moved back to Scotland with half of the profits, where she founded a real estate company.
She has since remarried and had her third child with her second husband.
Bayford remained in the Grade II listed building, but after a string of relationships failed, he put it up for sale and moved north to be closer to his children.
January 2019: Patrick and Frances Connolly
Jackpot: £115 million
EuroMillions lottery winners Frances and Patrick Connolly pose during a photo call at the Culloden Hotel near Belfast, on 4 January 2019
Former social worker and teacher Frances Connolly and her husband Patrick won nearly £115 million on New Year’s Day in 2019.
She has already given away £60 million to charities, sharing her winnings with her friends and family, and says she is addicted to helping others.
Ms Connolly, 55, from Northern Ireland, has already busted the charity budget she had agreed with her husband Paddy for this year – giving away what they would have donated until 2032.
She said helping others, whether it be with money or by volunteering her time, cheers people up during the lockdown.
The lottery winner has founded two charitable foundations, one named after her late mother Kathleen Graham in their native Northern Ireland, and the PFC Trust in Hartlepool, where the couple have lived for 30 years.
The couple, who have three daughters – Catrina and twins Fiona and Natalie – are not extravagant with their wealth and Mrs. Connolly has no desire to buy a yacht.
Their biggest expense after their win was a six-bedroom house in County Durham with seven acres of land, with Mr Connolly driving a second-hand Aston Martin, but Mrs Connolly scoffed at the idea of spending £13,000 on a console table.
When she saw a TV show where someone in Monaco spent £25,000 on a bottle of champagne, she immediately thought that could have put a young person up the real estate ladder.
July 2011: Colin and Chris Weir
Jackpot: £161.6m
Chris and Colin Weir, who later divorced, celebrate after winning the £161.6 million jackpot in July 2011 – the then record for a lottery
Colin and Chris Weir, from North Ayrshire, won a £161.6 million jackpot in July 2011, the then record for a lottery.
Mr Weir sadly passed away in 2019 at the age of 71, eight years after he hit the jackpot.
Mr and Mrs Weir, 62, divorced over the summer after 38 years of marriage. It is clear that they had been living separately for almost a year before his death.
They had two children together, Carly and Jamie.
Mr Weir was known for his support for the SNP and his love for Partick Thistle Football Club.
He secured a majority stake in the Glasgow club in a seven-figure deal – and promised to give the 55 per cent stake to a group of fans.
Mr Weir also helped the Jags set up the Thistle Weir Youth Academy and part of the club’s Firhill Stadium was named the Colin Weir Stand in his honour.
A former cameraman for STV, he has also made a donation to a local football club in his hometown of Largs, having set up the Weir Charitable Trust with his wife in 2013.
They were both forced to retire early and nurse each other through years of ill health before becoming the 22nd richest people in Scotland after their £161,653,000 win.
Overnight on the Sunday Times Rich List, they topped Beatle Ringo Starr and singer Sir Tom Jones, but eschewed the lavish lifestyle and decided to go on holiday to Brighton afterwards.
One of the first items Mr Weir bought after the huge jackpot win was a checked sports jacket, similar to the one worn by Scottish sports legend Arthur Montford.
The couple eventually bought a number of houses, including for their son Jamie, who worked in a call center, and daughter Carly, who studied photography. They also bought houses for their close friends.
Shortly after the life-changing windfall, they moved from their own three-bedroom house to Knock House – a mansion set in 23 acres of gardens and woodland in the hills above Largs, complete with cinema, swimming pool and stables.
They bought it for £850,000 before selling it to a foreign trust in 2016 in a £1.4m deal.
They also replaced their modest Suzuki with a £160,000 fleet for the couple, their family and friends.