The winners of a EuroMillions jackpot have revealed the extremely ordinary item they first purchased after winning £114.9 million.
Patrick and Frances Connolly from County Armagh, Northern Ireland, won £114,969,775 on New Year’s Day, 2019.
The pair have donated £60 million to their loved ones, after scooping the fourth-largest UK lottery win at the time.
Their biggest expenditure after their win was a six-bedroom house in County Durham with seven acres of land, while Mr Connolly drives a second-hand Aston Martin.
However, Mrs Connolly, 58, bought a pair of M&S knickers as her first purchase with her newfound wealth.
She told The Sun: “We left our home with nothing, to keep us safe in case anybody found out about it and came to the house. And they did – within minutes.
“When we arrived at a hotel in England on Friday night, ahead of the press conference, I had to phone our Fiona and say, “Will you nip down to Marks & Spencer?”. ‘She got a pack of three pairs for 12 quid.”
She said she has given more than half of her £115 million fortune because she is addicted to giving to others.
The former social worker and teacher has set up two charitable foundations, one named after her late mother Kathleen Graham in their native Northern Ireland, and the PFC Trust in Hartlepool.
She said helping others, whether with money or by volunteering her time, lifted people’s spirits.
Mrs Connolly has always been motivated to help others, volunteering for the St John Ambulance from age nine and setting up an Aids helpline when she was a student in Belfast.
Mr Connolly still runs plastic businesses, while Mrs Connolly devotes her time to the trusts, which have backed local community groups to help people get into work, buy electronic tablets for old people so they can connect with their families, and supported refugees.
Winning such a huge sum has changed the pair’s lives, but Mrs Connolly said it does not alter your personality.
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