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PlayFirst Roll-Down Euro Winner named
The first of seven UK Euromillions players who shared the Euromillions £120 million jackpot prize fund on Friday 17 November (along with 13 other players across Europe) has been named. Dean Hardman is a 32 year old factory foreman from Greater Manchester. His partner, Stella Kelsall, runs a public house in Heywood, and Dean was sat playing dominoes there when he discovered his win, which was worth just over £6.7 million.
Friday's Euromillions draw was the twelfth since the last jackpot win, and this meant that if nobody matched all five main numbers and both Lucky Star numbers, the jackpot fund would be rolled down to winners who matched five main balls and just one Lucky Star. As things turned out, no jackpot winners were found, but Dean was one of the lucky players qualifying for the second tier prize and, with it, a hefty slice of the £120 million jackpot.
Dean's grandfather Stanley Rigby sadly died last October, but a few days before passing away he said something that Dean now recalls vividly. "My grandfather always said I would come into money one day," he explains. "It's one of the last things he said to me before he died."
No surprise then, that Dean now plans to use some of his fortune to buy a racehorse and name it after his grandfather. As for that common goal of taking early retirement, Dean says he loves his job as a foreman at a company that makes doors, and has not decided whether he wants to leave or not. However, both Dean and Stella have said that they definitely have no intention of leaving the pub at this stage.
Although Dean is the first UK player to publicise his Euromillions win, the names of the six other British players are still a mystery. Talking of mysteries, neither of the two winners in Ireland have yet come forward to claim their £6.7 million share of Friday's colossal fortune. As for the other European winners - four from France, three from Spain, three from Portugal and one from Belgium - we'll bring you news as and when they are named.
The jackpot for the Euromillions lottery this Friday 24 November is a guaranteed €15,000,000, so if you fancy seeing your name here - and having a few million added to your bank account - don't forget to buy a ticket!