20th October, 2010
A British pensioner is experiencing the worst nightmare of her life: Losing a ticket that has won a Euro million lottery jackpot of £113million – the biggest payout ever in Britain.
According to a report in today’s Daily Mail online, the pensioner whose identity is still kept secret lost the ticket, through no fault of hers, but the blunder of her husband.
The pensioner says she gave him her ticket for safe-keeping before the EuroMillions draw – and he threw it away by mistake.
“I checked my notepad where I write down my lottery numbers every week after I read in the paper that the winning ticket was bought in Coventry,’ she said.
“I couldn’t believe it when I realised that my numbers matched the winning ones.
“I told my husband to get the ticket out and double check. But that’s when he told me that he’d binned it.â€
Speculation about the identity of the ticket holder has been centred on the West  Midlands since the draw 12 days ago. The pensioner, who wants to remain anonymous, said: “I play every week. I play the lottery, the EuroMillions and the Thunderball but my husband takes the ticket off me and I don’t see it again.
“That’s why I always write my numbers down. I went down to the newsagent and showed him my pad. He said, ‘My God! You’re a winner!’ but I said, ‘I’m not a winner – the ticket has been binned.’
“I’ve turned the house upside down. I’ve looked in his pockets and in my bag and everywhere. I’ve said to my husband, ‘You’re never going to get another ticket off me.’
“He loses everything I give him. Only last night I found a lottery ticket that had won £10 in the bin.â€
If they are the rightful winners, the couple, who have been married for more than 50 years, have already lost £8,500 a day in interest since the draw on October 8.
The prize, however, would still put them 589th on Britain’s rich list, with more money than Robbie Williams, David Bowie or Rod Stewart.The supposed winner, who is Irish-born and in her 70s, told the Coventry Telegraph: “I was so angry at first, but there’s no point in being angry about it.
“I couldn’t be angry with him now. My whole life is taken up with him.â€
The couple’s daughter-in-law is now trying to help them get their hands on the  fortune by contacting staff at lottery operator Camelot.
She said: “My mother-in-law plays the lottery every week and always checks her numbers. She is certain she had the winning ticket.â€
The woman is understood to live in the affluent suburb of Earlsdon, on the outskirts of Coventry.
Bob Sharda confirmed she had visited his post office there to show staff her winning numbers, scribbled on her notepad.
Mr Sharda said: ‘She is an Irish lady who lives locally but I can’t tell you any more than that. Camelot have told us not to say a thing about this until Friday.â€
The post office sells lottery tickets from a news counter at the front of the shop. CCTV cameras overlook the counter and the lottery terminal, which will help Camelot to verify her claim.
Last night, Camelot spokesman Simon Horne refused to confirm or deny that the Earlsdon store had sold the winning ticket and said any advice given to Mr. Sharda was a matter of standard procedure.
“All of our retailers are bound by a retail agreement not to discuss winners or matters relating to a potential claim because all winners have the right to remain anonymous, and the majority of them do,†he said.
“The winner beat odds of more than 76million to one to pick the numbers 9, 30, 35, 39, 46, with lucky stars 6 and 8 and scoop the £113,019,926 prize. Coventry has been awash with speculation that there is a multi-millionaire within the city.
Camelot says it has paid out a handful of major prizes – over £50,000 – in cases where winning tickets have been lost. If, within 180 days of the draw, no other claims has been made for the ticket, the prize money may be paid out to the finder at Camelot’s discretion.
