Steve and Lenka Thomson from Sussex Named as £105M EuroMillions Winners

1. Lottery.co.uk
2. News
3. Steve and Lenka Thomson from Sussex Named as £105M EuroMillions Winners

A couple from Selsey in West Sussex have been revealed as the winners of the £105 million EuroMillions jackpot from 19th November. Steve and Lenka Thomson spoke about how they would spend the money and revealed that their 10-year-old son has already asked for a Tesla car.

The Thomsons claimed the ninth-biggest lottery jackpot in UK history after they hit all five numbers and both Lucky Stars in the 19th November EuroMillions draw. Steve, a builder by trade, checked his ticket three days after the draw while he was waiting for a colleague. 

He said, “I am not sure I even looked at the first two lines, the third one just jumped out and I could instantly tell they all matched. I started shaking a lot. I knew it was a really big win but didn't know what to do.

“I went out to my van, walked back in, thought about knocking on a neighbour's door, went back to the van - I think I was on the verge of having a heart attack.”

The first item on the couple’s wishlist is a new house. They currently live in a small terrace house with their daughter, 8, and two sons, 15 and 10, and they now look forward to moving somewhere bigger. 

“We will stay locally but somewhere with some space,” Steve said. “I would like to build our own place eventually but we've been looking at houses online for now. We will also support our families by buying them houses. To be able to give our children a bedroom each is a big thing.”

Steve said that their children had been “sensible” with their requests, but new bedrooms aren’t the only items they have their sights set on. The couple’s 10-year-old son has already requested a new Tesla car, while their daughter has said she would like a pink iPhone. 

Lenka, meanwhile, initially thought the couple had only won £105,000, but is looking forward to getting away on holiday. “Our annual holiday has always been to see my family in Slovakia,” she said, “and each year we start saving for the next one as soon as we come home. 

“Not only can I treat my family and see them more often, but we can also look to have other holidays, perhaps somewhere hot with a beach.”

The Thomsons told their family about the win soon after, before deciding that it would be in their best interests to go public. Steve said: “It would be so difficult to live a lie and not tell anyone about the win, especially with the fact we can both stop working and move house.”

This latest win continued an incredible 2019 for UK lottery players, which started on the very first day of the year with a £114 million jackpot that went to Frances and Patrick Connolly from Northern Ireland. That was followed by another nine-figure prize in June, when a £123 million jackpot was claimed by an anonymous ticket holder.

On 8th October the record for the biggest ever UK lottery jackpot was smashed when one lucky ticket holder landed a prize worth £170 million. It brought an end to an unprecedented run of rollovers, during which the jackpot climbed from its €17 million base amount all the way to the cap of €190 million. It stayed at that amount for five more draws - the first time in EuroMillions history that had happened - before it was finally won.