Woman who won £3.6 million on Euromillions plans to share with family and tick off bucket list

Most of us have fantasised about winning the lottery, but one woman has revealed she's got more modest plans than most for her winnings.

Celeste Coles, 69, from Birmingham, bought a last minute ticket that won big back in July, and this resulted in her scooping a life-changing sum of £3.6 million.

Coles, who is a mum of two, explained that she already had a 'comfortable life' prior to winning £3,665,079.10 on 12 July.

The EuroMillions winner revealed that she bought the ticket on the The National Lottery App shortly before the draw closed, and she went on to match five numbers and one Lucky Star.

The Barbados-born retired teacher said: "I play occasionally but that afternoon I received an email referring to the large EuroMillions jackpot that night and thought to myself I must get a ticket.

"Remembering just moments before the sales closed I got myself a Lucky Dip ticket.

"I didn't think much of it and was about to go to bed when I remembered and thought I'd quickly check the draw results.

"One by one I ticked off the numbers, by the fifth main number I knew I'd won something big-ish, but then when I spotted I had also matched one of the Lucky Stars I knew I'd won something even bigger."

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But when she informed her two daughters, one of them thought that her mum had been the victim of an elaborate scam.

Coles remembered: "When Nicola called I asked her to check my ticket for me. She read the draw results one by one, as I said... 'yes…yes…yes'.

"Her reaction was brilliant, she said 'mum, is this a scam?! Stop it, I don't believe you!' and insisted I send her a photo."

After wracking her brains for an idea about how to spend the money, Celeste said she will spend her unexpected windfall on a holiday home and travelling.

Naturally, her kids are a top priority too.

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She said: "I've always worked hard and now have a comfortable life, so there is nothing that I really want as such although I wouldn't mind a holiday home in Spain, something I never thought would have been possible.

"I've always wanted to go to South America, so a trip to Rio, Chile, Brazil and Argentina are definitely on the cards."

While most lottery winners celebrate with a drink or three, Celeste said she simply had a glass of water and sat down in a bid to process the win.

She said: "I've always been a pretty calm person, so there was no whooping from me, but I did decide a glass of water and a sit down was in order."

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Celeste said that while she isn't planning a major shopping trip after winning, the win has given her a lot of comfort as she knows her daughters will be financially stable for life too.

She said this is particularly important for her eldest daughter Rachel, who has Down's syndrome.

She said: "Bringing up a child with Down’s syndrome has been challenging at times but also rewarding.

"We have been supported by some excellent charities that have had an enormous impact on our lives.

"Pure and Midland Mencap in particular have been a great support and do brilliant work including giving Rachel the opportunity to work and integrate more fully with the community.

"I know that Midland Mencap has had National Lottery funding over the years too, which is amazing."