Bacon butties for €64m lottery winners

A SELF-CONFESSED “white van man” yesterday revealed how he celebrated Britain’s biggest ever lottery win with a bacon roll.

Property maintenance man Nigel Page, 43, who won a £56 million (€64m) share of Friday’s EuroMillions jackpot, breakfasted on bacon butties at his local cafe with his partner Justine Laycock, 41, and their children.

The couple, who live near Cirencester, Gloucestershire, in a three-bedroom semi, both plan to give up their jobs.

Mr Page, who runs his own business, said: “I’m a white van man, so I’m going to treat myself to a new car. I haven’t had a car to myself for 10 years. The finance is due to run out on the van.

“I’ll probably go a little more upmarket now. A BMW X5 or a Range Rover — just to get the kids and the dog in.”

Recalling their modest celebrations after the news on Saturday Ms Laycock, an estate agent, recalled: “Camelot told us an adviser was on their way so while we waited we decided to go out and have some breakfast together as a family. It sounds bizarre but we just felt very calm.”

The family sat around in silence at the Waitrose cafe before bursting out in laughter, a press conference in Bath, Somerset, was told.

Mr Page, a skydiving enthusiast, had only recently started playing the lottery online.

He had won a modest £55 earlier in the week and then re-invested some of his winnings on two Lucky Dips. Those turned out to be “Very Lucky Dips” he said.

He said: “I started shaking and couldn’t speak. I just kept looking at the screen in front of me but couldn’t say a word.”

Ms Laycock quipped that thanks to the massive jackpot win, she thought “the machine would explode, smoke would come out from it with ticker-tape and glitter and gold-painted Egyptian men would come out and carry me off”.

But the reality was rather different. When they told Justine’s daughter Georgia, 15, her reaction was muted.

Mr Page said: “Typical teenager — ‘Whatever!’ They believe it now. They were really good, really level-headed. They haven’t asked for much.”

The couple have three children from previous relationships. The youngsters have joked about getting a tarantula and Nigel’s daughter Ella, 12, has asked for a Shetland pony. Ms Laycock’s son Jacob, 11, completes the family.

Mr Page also revealed he had forgotten to get the love of his life a Valentine’s day card “with one thing and another”. But he was going to make up for it now, he said.

The couple, both divorcees, may finally marry.