EuroMillions Winner Andrew Clark: The Man Who Almost Missed Out on £76M
Oftentimes, when we play the lottery, it’s easy to forget we ever bought a ticket, and after losing so many times in a row, it can be discouraging to even bother checking what we suspect are losing numbers. The same can be said about EuroMillions winner Andrew Clark, who nearly missed out on millions before realising he was actually holding the golden ticket.
One Lucky Win
For 51-year-old Boston, Lincolnshire, resident Andrew Clark, it was hard to believe he’d be fortunate enough to finally win the lottery. Though he’d purchased a EuroMillions ticket just before the draw in November 2018, his ticket sat in his car for six weeks before he found it with a stockpile of other tickets in his truck. Fortunately for Andrew, his girlfriend Trisha Fairhurst had a feeling that he should check his numbers just in case—after all, it’d been weeks and no one had stepped forward for the jackpot winnings just yet. Her intuition was right; the winning ticket worth £76 million lay in a bed of losing tickets. At the time, it marked the 12th biggest win in the UK.
Andrew and his family celebrated by watching Trisha’s daughter perform in a nativity play at her school, followed by a nice dinner at a restaurant in Skegness on New Year’s Eve.
How Did Andrew Clark Spend His Winnings?
The first thing Mr. Clark did was retire from his job as a builder. Naturally, he and his partner immediately bought a new house as well as new cars for themselves, but they weren’t much focused on how they could spend the money on themselves. As a father and grandfather, he knew he could now afford to take care of his family.
Though he’d claimed his winnings a bit too late to make that Christmas a lavish affair, Andrew excitedly told the press the next Christmas would be his family’s best yet.
Where Is He Now?
Despite having millions in his bank account, Andrew Clark has kept largely out of the public eye. However, nearly a year after his big win, Andrew and his partner made the tabloids when they married at the Poachers Country Hotel in Swineshead.
Background
Though not much is known about Andrew’s life before he and Trisha became lottery winners, he was known in his community as a devoted builder who’d work through even the bitterest of colds to get the job done. The winner has two sons from a former relationship as well as three young grandchildren. He and Trisha also take care of her daughter together.
Conclusion
The biggest lesson that people like Andrew Clark and Joseph Cobbs III and Kendra Batts can teach us is to always check our lottery tickets. After all, no winners ever became rich by leaving their winning tickets in their car glove compartment or trunk. Playing the lottery is a matter of luck, and you'd never want to miss out on millions because you already accepted a loss without confirming it.
So keep playing and keep that ticket nearby because you never know when you’ll hit the jackpot—and you certainly don't want to cut it too close to the expiration date like Nicole Pedneault and Roger Larocque did or, even worse, lose your winning ticket (and all the money) like Martyn Tott.
