A MIDWIFE who scooped £1million on the National Lottery 10 years ago is still delivering babies – and no one knows she’s a millionaire.
Ruth Breen, 45, decided to keep her job at the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary in Wigan to “keep her feet on the ground” after the win.
The mum-of-one had no plans to buy a fancy new house, instead she decided to keep her life nearly exactly as it was.
She had been on her lunch break at work in 2014 when she discovered she’d won the EuroMillions.
“An awful lot has changed in the past 10 years but then again, not so much,” she said.
“The win came at the most perfect time ever. It allowed me to reduce my working hours, giving me a much better work-life balance.”
Ruth explained how she was able to go part-time to spend more time with her daughter “doing fun mum things”.
She said: “We’ve had great holidays, but we’ve tried to keep our feet on the ground and I think working really helps me to do that.”
She and her family have travelled to luxury destinations like Dubai and Mauritius.
Ruth said how many people have no idea that she is a millionaire.
She said: “I don’t introduce myself and say ‘oh by the way I won a million quid 10 years ago’, the vast majority of people haven’t got a clue and that’s the way I like it.”
She treated herself to a pair of Jimmy Choos when she first won big.
She said: “I nearly cried when I was paying for them in Selfridges because I couldn’t believe I was actually able to purchase this and I had the money to do it. It was a little bit overwhelming.”
“That collection’s a little bit bigger now, I don’t cry as much any more!”
The first EuroMillions draw took place on February 7, 2004, by three organisations: France’s Française des Jeux, Loterías y Apuestas del Estado in Spain and the Camelot in the UK.
One of the UK’s biggest prizes was up for grabs on December, 4, 2020 with a whopping £175million EuroMillions jackpot, which would make a winner richer than Adele.
Another previous UK winner who’s whole life was altered with their jackpot was a player who wanted to remain anonymous on October 8, 2019. They walked off with a cool £170,221,000.
Colin and Chris Weir, from Largs in Scotland, netted a huge £161,653,000 in the July 12, 2011.
Adrian and Gillian Bayford, from Haverhill, Suffolk, picked up £148,656,000 after they played the draw on August, 10, 2012, while Jane Park became Britain’s youngest lottery winner when she scooped up £1 million in 2013.
The odds of winning any EuroMillions prize are 1 in 13.
