£20m lotto jackpot claimed
The huge windfall has now been claimed
A Belfast woman who has been undergoing treatment for cancer has become the single biggest winner of the lottery since it began ten years ago.
Iris Jeffrey, 58, bought the ticket on 14 July but only realised she had hit the jackpot after an appeal by lottery organisers Camelot.
The married mother of two grown up daughters is about to become a grandmother in a few weeks.
She said one of her first purchases would have to be a new washing machine.
At a news conference on Friday Mrs Jeffrey said she the delay in claiming her prize was down to her forgetting about the ticket.
I am going to make sure that my family and friends are secure for life
Iris Jeffrey Lotto mulit-millionaire
"I watched the news on television and the numbers came on. I checked them later on but I forgot all about the ticket," she said.
"I didn't believe it actually. My daughters checked the ticket for me.
"I am going to make sure that my family and friends are secure for life."
She added that she hoped it would not change her too much and said she had no plans to leave her terraced home.
Mrs Jeffrey is being treated for cancer of the gullet and her family have said they are hoping to look at the possiblities of further treatments which her win could make possible.
"I am being treated for cancer at the moment so I am undergoing chemotherapy and I will be having a major operation - hopefully next month," she said.
The winning numbers were 6, 27, 33, 38, 45, 47.
Camelot was keen for the winner to collect their prize as they were missing out on £2,200 a day in interest.
To date, former Belfast bus driver Peter Lavery was the biggest lottery winner from Northern Ireland.
He won more than £10m in 1996.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/3540128.stm
The huge windfall has now been claimed
A Belfast woman who has been undergoing treatment for cancer has become the single biggest winner of the lottery since it began ten years ago.
Iris Jeffrey, 58, bought the ticket on 14 July but only realised she had hit the jackpot after an appeal by lottery organisers Camelot.
The married mother of two grown up daughters is about to become a grandmother in a few weeks.
She said one of her first purchases would have to be a new washing machine.
At a news conference on Friday Mrs Jeffrey said she the delay in claiming her prize was down to her forgetting about the ticket.
I am going to make sure that my family and friends are secure for life
Iris Jeffrey Lotto mulit-millionaire
"I watched the news on television and the numbers came on. I checked them later on but I forgot all about the ticket," she said.
"I didn't believe it actually. My daughters checked the ticket for me.
"I am going to make sure that my family and friends are secure for life."
She added that she hoped it would not change her too much and said she had no plans to leave her terraced home.
Mrs Jeffrey is being treated for cancer of the gullet and her family have said they are hoping to look at the possiblities of further treatments which her win could make possible.
"I am being treated for cancer at the moment so I am undergoing chemotherapy and I will be having a major operation - hopefully next month," she said.
The winning numbers were 6, 27, 33, 38, 45, 47.
Camelot was keen for the winner to collect their prize as they were missing out on £2,200 a day in interest.
To date, former Belfast bus driver Peter Lavery was the biggest lottery winner from Northern Ireland.
He won more than £10m in 1996.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/3540128.stm
