The father of a recent EuroMillions winner has unveiled the first eight words his daughter uttered to him after discovering she had clinched an eye-popping €72 million prize. Debbie and Richard Nuttall were in the midst of celebrating their milestone 30th wedding anniversary on the sunny island of Fuerteventura when fortune smiled upon them on January 30, securing them the colossal €72,274,808 jackpot. The Nuttalls, a couple both aged 54, decided to maintain a cloak of secrecy about their win until they could return home and deliver the extraordinary news in person to their family.
Upon their return, Debbie and Richard opted for a quaint family outing to a local café for a traditional fry-up, intending to disclose their monumental news in a setting that was comfortable and familiar. Debbie’s father, John, who is 74, recalled the moment vividly. Speaking to The Mirror, he said, “She said, ‘You might want to sit down for this.’ I was shocked but it couldn’t happen to a nicer couple,” expressing both his surprise and his happiness for his daughter and son-in-law.
John also touched on the family’s past hardships, revealing a poignant backstory that underscores the magnitude of this joyful turn of events. Debbie’s cousin, Ben King, sadly passed away at the tender age of 27 after battling a rare autoimmune disease. John firmly believes that Debbie, influenced by her win, will more than likely take steps to honor Ben’s memory in a charitable manner.
Prior to their windfall, Richard worked as an accountant and Debbie was employed by a civil engineering firm. The sensation of holding such a tremendous amount of wealth seemed surreal to the couple initially. Their immediate celebration included acquiring a brand-new BMW X5, a tangible symbol of their newfound freedom and prosperity. Richard and Debbie, who hail from Lancashire, England, are seizing this opportunity not just for immediate luxuries but for a profound lifestyle change. They plan to retire early—an aspiration turned into reality thanks to their unexpected fortune.
With visions of a brighter, more leisurely future before them, the couple has their eyes set on the sun-drenched landscapes of Portugal. They envision purchasing a second home there to indulge in the climate and tranquility it offers.
. In addition to their dreams of international living, they also cherish the idea of spending more quality time with their two daughters and three granddaughters, basking in the joys that family life brings.
Speaking in an interview for BBC North West, Richard recalled the whirlwind of emotions that swept over him upon learning of their win. “Absolute daze,” he described it. At first, he mistook the initial notification for a minor, rather inconsequential win of merely £2.60 (€3). However, a subsequent email encouraged him to double-check, revealing the life-altering sum they had actually won. “We were totally stunned; it said we had won over £61m [€72m],” Richard recounted.
The euphoria didn’t stop there. The couple soon contacted the National Lottery office to officially confirm their jackpot. Reliving their ecstatic reactions, Richard said they were “going mental” with joy inside their car, euphorically jumping and dancing in their seats, so much so that “the car must have been rocking.” This vivid portrayal of their celebration captures the enormity of their elation.
Adapting to such a dramatic shift in their circumstances has been a challenge, admits Richard. “We’ve always worked and now we have the opportunity to do whatever we want,” he remarked, highlighting the significant impact this windfall has on their day-to-day life and future prospects. The shift from a structured working life to one of vast freedom is a transition they are still grappling with as they look forward to a promising horizon filled with endless possibilities.
In conclusion, the extraordinary tale of Debbie and Richard Nuttall serves as a heartwarming reminder of what can happen when luck strikes in the most unexpected of ways. Their journey from a serene holiday celebration to becoming multimillionaires is punctuated with moments of sheer disbelief, joy, and reflections on past sorrows, setting the stage for a future filled with promise and boundless opportunities.
