Remembering Peterborough’s biggest ever lottery win 10 years on – the couple who beat odds of 45 million-to-one

The couple – who chose to remain anonymous – described feeling “shell-shocked” after learning of their huge win by logging into their National Lottery account.

They’ve confirmed that part of their six-figure winnings will now be used to pay for an extension on their house.

Describing the moment they learnt of their winnings, the couple said: “We logged into our online account and really couldn’t believe it!

“We felt shell-shocked – the most we have ever won before that was about £10!”

The couple’s new-found wealth will no doubt allow them to live comfortably for the rest of their lives, possibly by enjoying luxuries like exotic holidays and flash new cars.

As life-changing as winning £1 million may be, that number is dwarfed by the sum won by another Peterborough couple a decade ago.

Gerry and Lisa Cannings £32 million lottery win in 2016

On February 13, 2016, the lives of Gerry and Lisa Cannings changed forever after the couple won a staggering £32.5 million National Lottery jackpot.

Gerry (then 63), a retired teacher who worked at The Deepings School, and Lisa (then 48), also a teacher at Hampton College, were visiting a relative near Slough when they decided to buy five lucky dip tickets.

Remarkably, Gerry didn’t check his numbers until the morning after the draw because he couldn’t find the results on Teletext.

Describing the moment he discovered his ticket had won the jackpot, Gerry said back in 2016: “Sunday morning came and I decided to check the internet.

“I started looking down the lines I had and then saw that the first line was the same as the one on the screen.

“Next I saw there was only one winner and then it hit me ‘Bloody hell we’ve got the whole lot!’

“I double checked it, reading it forwards and backwards. It just didn’t seem real but it looked right. I went and found Dad but it was obvious he didn’t believe me.

“I then went back upstairs to tell Lisa and said ‘What would you say if we won the jackpot?’ She can tell if I’m lying by looking into my eyes so she knew immediately I was being serious.”

The winning ticket matched all six numbers – 15, 16, 23, 39, 48, and 59 – beating odds of 45 million-to-one to win the jackpot, which was the result of nine consecutive rollovers.

Gerry and Lisa said they’d use the money to help their children buy houses and pay for a family tour of New Zealand.

10 years on, Gerry and Lisa’s win remains one of the biggest National Lottery jackpots of all time, just shy of the £33,035,323 won by David and Carol Martin, from Hawick in the Scottish Borders, in January 2016.