A woman won millions in the lottery: 30 years have passed since then, she works in a supermarket (4 photos)

The couple used the money to buy a derelict guest house in Lyme Regis, turning it into a 5-star holiday cottage. They also launched a charity project.





Elaine Thompson, 68, from Newcastle, UK, won £2.7 million in the lottery almost 30 years ago. The jackpot changed the woman’s life and that of her family, but she is now back in work.

Elaine and her husband Derek, an accountant, regularly tried their luck by using numbers chosen from important dates in their lives, such as birthdays and anniversaries, on lottery tickets.

On their 17th wedding anniversary (December 9), Newcastle United were playing Chelsea, so the husband went to London to meet friends and watch the match. "Don't forget to buy a ticket!" Mrs. Thompson reminded her husband.



As it turned out, those words determined their future. When the woman checked the numbers on her ticket (5, 11, 12, 26, 29, 33) against the official lottery results, she couldn't believe her eyes at first. When Derek heard about the jackpot, he thought he was being scammed, but when he checked everything himself, he realized it was true.

"We went to bed, but our thoughts were haunting us. We woke up at 4am. Because someone had leaked the information to the press, we had to give interviews," the couple recall.

The couple spent the money on buying an abandoned boarding house in Lyme Regis, turning it into a 5-star holiday cottage. In addition, they launched a charity project and sent families battling cancer on holiday. Then the Thompsons sold the hotel and bought the By The Bay restaurant in exchange, which they ran for six years.





"Eventually we decided it was time to move back home to the North East. I continued working, taking a job in a supermarket, although we were making enough money - so it wasn't for the money. I just liked the social aspect and the routine. Yes, I know people don't expect that from a lottery winner," says Elaine.

Derek is also still working, but dreams of traveling around Europe when he retires. The couple have a daughter and son, Karen, 39, and Gary, 34.