One of Britain’s richest men
A EuroMillions winner who who bagged the ninth biggest jackpot in lottery history last month has treated himself to a secondhand car.
Despite winning £105m ($138m) to become one of the richest men in Britain, 42-year-old Steve Thomson from Selsey, West Sussex, has yet to flash the cash.
bagged the ninth biggest jackpot in lottery history last month
And while most winners quit their job and plan how they will spend their millions, the English builder has instead returned to work to finish jobs for clients in time for Christmas.
A new runaround
Instead of splashing out on a new Bentley or a Mercedes, Steve has treated himself to a “second hand runaround”.
Speaking to The Mirror, Steve confirmed that his new wheels are a couple of years old. He told the paper how his win had sent him on an “emotional rollercoaster”. He went on to say that he won’t be going on any extravagant spending sprees, stating:
I’m not going to go out and start to splash it around, it still hasn’t sunk in.”
With the builder finding it hard to sleep, he told how he was using his return to work to help him cope. He added: “I feel normal and that’s how I want to stay. I’m trying to finish some jobs before Christmas. I won’t be able to finish all of them, but I’m doing what I can between meetings.”
Wife has already quit her job
Steve only checked his winning ticket a few days after the November 19 draw while waiting for his lift to work.
He told The Mirror how he felt like he was on the verge of having a heart attack after realizing that he had matched all seven numbers. He was so excited he considered knocking on his neighbour’s door to tell them before rushing inside to tell his wife Lenka.
His 41-year-old wife has quit her job at the local convenience store while the couple decides what to do with their millions.
Treating the kids
Despite not having time to buy any Christmas presents, the couple is keen to move from their £120,000 ($158,000) three-bedroom house so that their two sons, aged 10 and 15, and eight-year old daughter, can have bedrooms of their own.
However, the couple would still like to stay in the area as they say it is “such a lovely place to live”.
Steve would eventually like to build his own house, but that’s not top of his priorities just yet. He said: “My main priority is Christmas, then trying to find somewhere to live. And then my three main commitments are family, friends, community – that’s it.”