“I’ve got a secret”: how Joe and Jess Thwaite found out they’d won £184m

Joe Thwaite was 49 and worked as a communications sales engineer. His wife, Jess, 44, ran a hair salon with her sister. They lived in Gloucester with their two young children, and had bought their house just two months earlier.

On Tuesday 10 May 2022 Joe noticed the EuroMillions jackpot was huge and bought a Lucky Dip online at about 4pm. The numbers that night were 3, 25, 27, 28 and 29, with Lucky Stars 4 and 9.

Counting the digits

The next morning Joe saw an email saying he’d won. He thought it was a small prize at first. Then he started counting the digits. The ticket had won £184,262,899, the biggest UK lottery prize ever at the time.

Jess was still asleep. Joe let her sleep for about 20 minutes until her alarm went off, then went into the bedroom and told her he had a secret. She thought he was joking.

Jess told her sister the news was “better than being pregnant”.

Why they went public

The couple said their luck had been “pretty terrible” before the win. They chose to go public because they wanted to treat family and friends, and they couldn’t see how to do that without explaining where the money came from.

Their plans were simple. Joe planned to leave his job, they wanted to do up the house, and their youngest wanted to go to Hawaii. Jess said just managing the money would be a full-time job for a while.

Where are they now?

We couldn’t find any big interview with the Thwaites since their press conference. Their record didn’t last long. On 19 July 2022 an anonymous UK ticket holder won £195,707,000 on EuroMillions, and that was still the biggest National Lottery win ever in early 2026.

What other winners can learn

• Going public is a personal choice. If you can’t keep a win quiet, telling everyone at once can be easier.
• Make big decisions together, and take your time.
• A win this size needs a team of advisers. Treat it like a job for the first year.