UK Lotto Winner Stories

The potential of winning life-changing millions from the UK National Lottery is one in 45,057,474, which is relatively smaller than EuroMillions and US Powerball, yet still extremely difficult. Without a doubt, it takes a lot of luck to win any lottery, and even though it might be hard to believe in luck, none of these eight UK Lotto winners exactly subscribed to the idea either. But we bet they have a very different opinion of it today after they claimed their prizes!

February 2016 - Gerry and Lisa Cannings Promise to 'Carry on as Boringly as Always' Despite Winning £32 Million from the UK Lottery

Gerry and Lisa Cannings from Cambridgeshire never dreamed of winning the lotto. In fact, Gerry was just going to buy fish and chips at a local mart when a poster inspired him to buy a ticket from the UK National Lotto. One of his five Lucky Dip tickets, which randomly select number combinations for the entries, turned out to be a lucky charm.

The next Sunday morning, he checked the numbers online—"forwards and backwards three to four times." All he was able to say when the reality set in was "Oh dear, I think I've won the lot."

After that, the two retired from their jobs. Lisa texted their friends and family stating that they won the lottery and would talk to them soon.

The Cannings helped their friends and family, making sure their older sons had their own houses. They also made unspecified contributions to their friends.

The two promised that they would not let money take over their lives, and the last time anyone checked in with them, they were still keeping their word. As "boring" as that may seem, it's allowed them to retire early and focus on nothing but other than enjoying their winnings—because hey, why not!

January 2016 - David and Carol Martin Took Home £33 Million from the UK Lottery after Eating Bacon and Black Pudding

The funniest thing about the lottery is if you win, you can get caught with your proverbial pants down. David and Carol Martin, a middle-aged couple from Scotland, never dreamed of winning anything from the UK National Lotto. The couple even forgot about the Saturday draw of that January week, and the next day they almost forgot to check to see if their entries had won anything. David said that they do not usually watch the UK Lotto draws every Saturday night. Luckily, they suddenly remembered it while eating bacon and black pudding rolls.

The two had spent their money to fly into Australia and visit their daughter, the very first soul they told about their winnings. They said they wanted to retire early, but they found it difficult to "tell lies to employers and phone in sick", but eventually the word got out.

January 2009 - Mark and Tina Myatt Were Playing 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' Before They Realized They Won £1 Million from the UK Lottery

Like the vast majority of winners, the Myatts never really thought they'd win anything. They actually forgot all about the lottery once they started playing their favorite "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" board game a few hours after placing their entries. The "Boys" team, comprising Mark Myatt, his sons, and the family's male friends, won a fictional amount of £125,000 in the game while the "Girls" team, a group made up of Trina Myatt, the daughters, and lady friends of the family, won £1,000 only.

Despite Trina's loss in the game, the following day during a family function Mark and Trina received news that they had just won £1 million. The Hempstead, Hertfordshire, couple debated whether to fulfill Mark's promise to his eldest son that he can have a toy shop of his own. Their other son just chose a huge Thomas the Tank Engine set.

For practical matters, the two spent their winnings on paying off all their debt. They also spent a holiday in Disneyland and the Maldives, and purchased a four-month-old black Mercedes-Benz because they felt "buying a new one is too extravagant." If all winners thought like them, they'd probably enjoy their winnings much longer!

April 2009 - Martyn White Thought the UK Lotto Email Informing He Won £10.7 Million Was a Prank

Martyn White did his daily morning routine: turn on the laptop, check for emails, and update his tasks accordingly. He was about to go on a holiday flight with his wife, Sandra, and was at the time merely hoping their flight was not delayed or canceled.

He had stopped at the second part of his routine because he received an email that did not come from his spam inbox yet stated he had won £10.7 million in the UK National Lottery. There was no scam staple dialogue such as "we need you to pay N amount to complete the transfer," yet Martyn did not believe it and continued thinking it was still a prank. However, out of curiosity, he logged into his account and held his breath for "at least five seconds."

Mr. White said he "couldn't take it in" when he saw he had won the £10.7 million jackpot. He checked his numbers, and he verified that he had in fact won the huge amount. The tremendous news only made their trip to Italy even better, as they enjoyed themselves without limitations and splurged before coming home to claim their prize.

July 2008 - Susan and Michael Crossland Make Homes for Disabled Relatives With Their £1.2 Million from the UK Lottery

Susan and Michael Crossland, who lived off Michael's £300 weekly wages, were by no means the luckiest couple in the world, but they loved and supported each other despite their situation. Aside from the two of them, they take care of Susan's sister, Joanne, who has a mental disability. Before she won the lottery, Susan feared she would have to send Joanne to a care center because she and Michael did not have enough resources to help her condition.

Their life changed drastically when in July 2008 a lucky UK National Lottery entry won them £1.2 million. The timing of the winning was perfect; they needed that amount to help disabled relatives.

The two purchased a £500,000 seven-bedroom home in Mirfield, West Yorkshire. Susan could suddenly also afford to give Joanne a proper caretaker for her needs.

When they won, Susan said she felt sick thinking about the results. She said it felt like any moment she might wake up to find out it had all just been a dream.

Now, the couple who had previously kept everything within their £300 weekly budget no longer needs to worry about anything fiscal anymore, thanks to the UK Lottery.

August 2007 - Derek Ladner Did Not Realize He Had Two UK Lottery Entries That Gave Him £1 Million!

Derek Ladner never expected to win as high as £1 million or any figure even close to that number. Both Derek and Dawn purchased tickets to enter the UK National Lottery regularly, but they weren't exactly holding their breath in anticipation. In all his entries, Derek used his and his wife's birthdays as digits. Little did they know the number would come up twice in the week's draw.

Ladner was about to retire that Friday, having spent a lifetime as a delivery driver. He had a small pension but it was still something to go on. During a night of watching late-night movies, Ladner checked the results of the previous lottery and saw one of his tickets had won. Then, he pulled out his forgotten entry, which also indicated the same numbers!

He received the largest share from two other entries that won that August week. The UK Lottery just gave him the best retirement ever.

January 2006 - Rachel Bryan Felt Her Horoscope Was 'Unbelievable'—But It Gave Her £2.6 Million Anyway

Rachel Bryan never believed in horoscopes, but she always found them entertaining. A daily horoscope from her newspaper told her she would receive a financial blessing for the day. Like most people, Rachel just shrugged off the idea because winning against the odds of any lottery, including the UK National Lottery, is absurd and could take years. She saw it twice and again just shook the idea out of her head.

Passing by a UK National Lottery Kiosk, she thought to put the horoscopes to the test. She placed an entry and was shocked to find she won £2.6 million the next day. She is now living the good life by purchasing shares in companies and residing on a farm with two goats and 200 chickens.

She said she and her husband Tony were "very modern winners" because they are living the dream of any individual by growing their own food and raising animals on a land they own themselves.

April 2005 - Sarah Cockings Was Only 21 Upon Winning £3 Million from the UK Lottery

Sarah said she was not "a religious player" of the UK National Lottery—she was just at the right place at the right time. She said it was her second entry technically that did the job, but she used the same lucky numbers as the first time.

Her sister Alex was responsible for processing all entries. She handed in hers. During the draw night, Sarah forgot to check her numbers until her boyfriend Roy said they should see online if she had won the lottery. Realizing her £3 million winnings, she felt numb. She sat "for ages." When it sank in, she, Alex, and their sister Emma lined up to get breast implants. Probably not what most people would do, but hey—to each their own!

Aside from the cosmetic surgery, Sarah bought a Mini Cooper S convertible and a Range Rover Sport. The victory also allowed her to quit her job in the post office and go back to school after having spent only two years in college.