A EuroMillions winner “died twice” and lost her job before winning £1million after her husband “forgot” he bought a lottery ticket.
Desiree Home, 67, was diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer at the age of 50.
Her husband Wayne told her he bought the winning in August 2014 after “forgetting” he had even purchased it.
The couple, of Maidstone, Kent who have been married for 45 years, have three children, seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
Desiree told The Sun: “I was 50 when I was diagnosed with Stage 3 bowel cancer, which required invasive surgery and chemotherapy. During my treatment I ‘died’ twice from respiratory failure, once on the operating table and then on the recovery ward.”
She then developed Cauda Equina Syndrome, a rare spinal condition. Shortly after surgery Wayne and Desiree lost their jobs, leading them to sell their home and live in a mobile home.
Desiree said her husband bought a lucky dip on his way to work and forgot about it.
She said: “Once he finally got around to checking the numbers a few days later he discovered it was a winner.
She decided after celebrating her fortune she would write her life story.
|GETTY
“It was 8am when he realised they had won but he didn’t want to disturb me as I really didn’t like mornings – and the lottery office didn’t open until 9am, so put it back in his pocket and got the train and then tube to work!”
When Wayne broke the news of their win, Desiree said: “I just don’t think I could process the fact that we finally had some good news”.
Their first purchase was a slow-closing toilet lid for their mobile home as their previous lid was too loud.
Mrs Home decided after celebrating her fortune she would write her life story.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
The husband bought a lucky dip on his way to work and forgot about it
| GETTYShe said: “I’ve had an eventful life, I was in WRENS (Women’s Royal Naval Service) as a young woman, where I met Wayne, an ex-submariner.
“We then raised three children together and dealt with all the usual growing pains that family life brings before things fell apart in 2008 with the cancer diagnosis.
“That win in 2014 couldn’t have come at a better time.”
She wrote a book entitled And Then, published in October 2024, with the royalties for the book going to two charities, Cancer Research UK and Folly Wildlife Rescue.
The couple said they have been able to tick off their bucket list, vacationing in the Maldives and ensuring their children’s financial security.
She said: “Wayne also bought a motorboat, but we sold it as we didn’t use it enough. We’ve got a caravan now and have had so many wonderful family holidays in the West Country.”
Despite winning the EuroMillions, the couple still work, with Desiree being employed as a part-time receptionist and Wayne working for an agency as a driver. They also took the opportunity to buy their dream home, a converted pump house on the same site as their mobile home.
Unclaimed lottery winning tickets are more common than expected, with a search underway for a winning ticket worth £1 million bought in Birmingham.
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter