Ryan matched all five numbers and both Lucky Stars in the EuroMillions draw on Friday 17th April to win £58,366,487. He said he checked his numbers early the following morning but struggled to comprehend how much he had won.
“I always wake up early and was sat on the edge of my bed but couldn’t work out what I was looking at,” he said. “The email linked to my account which looked like a lot of numbers and I thought it might be millions but I couldn’t believe what my eyes were seeing.
“I couldn’t make sense of it and really needed to talk to someone so I called mum and dad. It was 6am so they assumed that I had locked myself out of the flat somehow as it has happened before.
“I was shaking and really needed a second opinion so I jumped in the van and drove round to mum and dad’s house. I stuck to the government guidelines and kept a safe distance outside and passed the phone through the window for them to double-check for me.”
The self-employed joiner said he was unsure of what he will do with the money but did say that it meant he and his parents could all retire - after he completes one last job. He has been working on his brother’s house and said he would see the job through.
“After that, who knows,” he added. “Right now I’m not focused on spending it on myself. Mum works at the local school as a cleaner and has been struggling with a sore hip for years, so it would be great to see her take early retirement straight away. And this win means my dad can stop working at the factory by the end of the week too.”
Although he wasn’t thinking too much about what to spend the money on, he did say that he would like to build a new home and take his 11-year-old daughter to Disneyland.
Despite the lockdown in place due to coronavirus, Ryan managed to celebrate with his brothers the day he found out about the win. “We sat apart drinking beer on Saturday afternoon in the sunshine and tried to let the news sink in,” he said. “I just couldn’t be alone but we kept more than two metres apart. I needed to talk to them and ask their advice.”
The National Lottery will provide all the support the winner needs to come to terms with his new life as a millionaire. He will be put in touch with financial advisors and banks that specialise in dealing with large amounts of money.
It has been a lucky few weeks for EuroMillions players in the UK, as a £57 million EuroMillions winner came forward to claim their prize the same day that Ryan hit his jackpot. That ticket holder, who has so far remained anonymous, won their prize exactly one month before, on 17th March.
The EuroMillions jackpot reset to €17 million (approximately £14 million) following Ryan’s win and has now risen to €25 million (£22 million) for the next draw on Friday 24th April.
The disruption caused by coronavirus has not yet spread to EuroMillions draws, which are scheduled to take place as normal, but you may find it more difficult than usual to purchase tickets in stores. As a safer alternative you can buy tickets online, so you don’t have to come into contact with other people unnecessarily during the ongoing crisis.