'I've cheated death. We're on a roll, let's buy a lottery ticket': Mother of family who won £61million lottery jackpot told her daughter to buy a ticket after she had tumour surgery 

  • Mother, 53, was undergoing surgery in Florida ahead of the draw
  • After successful op, she said she felt so lucky she wanted a lottery ticket 
  • Daughter, 23, bought 'lucky dip' ticket from local petrol station
  • Five winners include mother's partner, daughters and daughter's partner
  • The group, who were celebrating today, will get £12.2million each

The mother in a family who won £61million on the EuroMillions lottery told her daughter to buy a ticket after 'cheating death' with surgery on a tumour.

Sonia Davies, 53, is one of five winners in the family syndicate, along with her partner Keith Reynolds, 55, daughters Stephanie, 23, and Courtney, 19, and Stephanie's boyfriend Steve Powell, 30. They will get £12.2million each. 

Stephanie purchased six Lucky Dip tickets on the evening of the draw after receiving a call from her mother, who was in Florida after undergoing keyhole surgery to remove a tumour on her parathyroid gland.

Ms Davies said today: 'I had the surgery a week ago today. Friday was the first day I felt, wow, I'm cured, I feel good, it doesn't hurt so much.

'I felt like I had cheated death and felt so so lucky. You just feel like, we're on a roll, let's buy a lottery ticket because we're so lucky.'

The Davies family from Monmouth are to share a £61million EuroMillions jackpot

The five, Sonia Davies (centre left), her partner Keith Reynolds (left), two daughters Stephanie (centre) and Courtney (centre right) and Stephanie's boyfriend Steve Powell (right) will each get £12million

The five, Sonia Davies (centre left), her partner Keith Reynolds (left), two daughters Stephanie (centre) and Courtney (centre right) and Stephanie's boyfriend Steve Powell (right) will each get £12million

Ms Davies added: 'I didn't think we'd win but, when you feel everything is shining down on you, you just go for it.' 

Her daughter bought the tickets from the Overmonow Garage in Monmouth and was stunned when she checked the numbers in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Ms Davies, an admin assistant, and Mr Reynolds, a company regional director, were in the US to see his daughter graduate and for Ms Davies' operation.

She was diagnosed with a tumor on her parathyroid gland earlier in the year - and had arranged keyhole surgery at a world-leading treatment centre in Florida.

Sonia said: 'What a rollercoaster of a week we've had. I had my operation on Wednesday and until then we didn't know how serious it was.

'They told me that if it hadn't been removed it would have been fatal - and at the very least I would have lost my voice within a year.

'They managed to give me the all clear straight after the operation, so as you can imagine we were on cloud nine.

'Excited we were about to return home to celebrate our brilliant news, Keith was scanning his emails and read about the EuroMillions rollover.'

The family said they chose to make the win public rather than have to try and hide it

Mother Sonia told her daughter to buy a ticket after undergoing successful tumour surgery

She added: 'He was convinced that we were the luckiest people on the planet and definitely on a winning streak after the success of my op.

'So we called up my daughter Courtney to ask her to go and buy us a ticket.

'She was travelling and wasn't able to change her plans so we called Stephanie instead as something told us we needed to get a ticket - and the rest is history.' 

Ms Davies was previously widowed aged just 47 when husband Malcolm died of the bone cancer illness leukaemia more than five years ago.

The family said they felt like 'someone looking down' on them as Courtney and Stephanie spoke of their late father. 

Courtney added: 'Our dad's not with us anymore. He passed away.' 

A neighbour at their home near Monmouth said this afternoon: 'Sonia has been through so much and she is finally due some happiness.

'Finding the tumour must have been very frightening for her, especially after going through what she did with Malcolm.

'She kept news of her health very secret because we didn't know anything.

'But I'm glad she's got the all clear and to get win the lottery as well must be the icing on the cake.'

Describing the moment Stephanie to her they had won, Ms Davies (right) said: 'All I could hear was Steph sobbing. I thought she'd told me she'd lost her dog.'

Describing the moment daughter Stephanie (left) to her they had won, Ms Davies (right) said: 'All I could hear was Steph sobbing. I thought she'd told me she'd lost her dog.'

Daughter Stephanie, pictured with  boyfriend Steve Powell, cries as she recalls the win

Daughter Stephanie, pictured with boyfriend Steve Powell, cries as she recalls the win today

Describing her dash to get the tickets, daughter Stephanie said: 'My car was blocked in the drive by my boyfriend Steve's, so to save time I made him drive me to buy a ticket instead of moving mine.'

She and Mr Powell did not check the tickets until the early hours of Sunday morning, after spending the evening with friends.

Mr Powell said: 'We were laughing and joking about the lottery.

'Steph remembered she had bought a ticket. She said "if I shout down it means we've won the lottery and if not, I've gone to bed". She came down crying.'

Miss Davies had checked the numbers on her iPad and realised they had all of them - with one UK ticket holder scooping the £61 million prize.

She said: 'As soon as I saw that ticket I had my hands over my eyes, I was shaking, I was crying.

'I said to Steve "for once in my life I am not even joking". We checked the ticket about ten times over.'

She then phoned her mother, who was waiting to board her delayed flight home.

Mother Sonia was in Florida before the draw and phoned her daughter to tell her to get a ticket

The family laughed yesterday as they were unveiled as the winners of £61million jackpot

The family laughed today as they were unveiled as the winners of £61million jackpot

Mother Sonia said: 'All I could hear was Steph sobbing down the phone and the odd muffled word. I thought she'd told me she'd lost her dog. Then I heard Steve shouting "we've won £61 million".

'We put them on speaker phone so Keith and I could both listen, but realised everyone in the airport could hear so we huddled round a bin while we checked the numbers and realised we really had won.

'I can remember saying "if we don't make it home just make sure you spend it all". It was the longest flight of our life.'

Stephanie then phoned up her sister Courtney, the fifth member of their syndicate, to break the news at 1.45am.

Describing their conversation, Courtney, who is studying psychology at the University of Southampton, said: 'We kept repeating "oh my God" to each other, over and over.

'In the end we had to say bye and hang up as we were so in shock we weren't actually talking to each other.'

The family are understood to live in a farmhouse in the countryside near the Welsh border

The family are understood to live in a farmhouse in the countryside near the Welsh border

Stephanie Davies, who bought the ticket, said she hurried from her home to purchase it

Stephanie Davies, who bought the ticket, said she hurried from her home to purchase it

The family - who hail from Monmouthshire in south east Wales - said they were still considering what to do with their £12,220,488 shares of the £61,102,442 jackpot.

Stephanie and her partner bought their first home together at Christmas so they plan to finish decorating the bathroom and may take a trip to the Caribbean.

Courtney wants to complete her degree before deciding what to do next but said she is planning on buying an electric toothbrush and a new car to replace her VW Fox, which has wind-up windows and no air con.

Her boyfriend Kieran, a student at Reading University, is hoping she will get the leak in his car fixed. 

Ms Davies and Mr Reynolds will share their win with family and friends - though she would like a new oak-framed carport for their home.

The family are understood to live in a farmhouse in Llangarron, a village in Herefordshire close to the Welsh border, which is available to rent for up as a holiday home to £2,000 per week.

The Grade II-listed farmhouse dates back to the 16th century and is part of a former Elizabethan country mansion. The property is believed to have once been the agricultural wing of the mansion. 

They purchased the ticket at this petrol station after Ms Davies told her daughter to get one

They purchased the ticket at this petrol station after Ms Davies told her daughter to get one

Maggie Stanley, who sold the winning ticket, joked that she shouldn't have handed it over

Maggie Stanley, who sold the winning ticket, joked that she shouldn't have handed it over

Mr Reynolds and his ex wife Mandy, with whom he has three daughters, divorced two years ago after being married for more than 20 years.

His first daughter, whom he was visiting in the US when the draw was made, plays for a top women's soccer team in Troy, Alabama.

His former brother-in-law Glen Hipkiss said: 'I only found out about the win today. I think it is great. It sets my nieces up for life. Keith is a lovely bloke and there is no animosity there at all. I am delighted - mainly for my nieces.'

The family said they hoped their huge win wouldn't alienate their friends and neighbours and vowed to use their cash to help those around them.

Mr Reynolds said: 'We're not materialistic people, but it's not as if we've ever gone without.

'The holidays will be a lot better but I'm going to carry on working. The money just takes the pressure of not being able to work if I'm ill off my shoulders.'

Robin Mansell, 51, the manager of Budgens, the shop at the petrol station where the ticket was bought, said: 'All the staff cannot believe that someone local has won it and that we have sold the ticket.

'You see it on the news but you do not think that we would sell the ticket.'

Mr Mansell said he did not think they had ever had a big winning ticket bought before, adding: 'We can not believe it, we just want to know which staff member sold it.' 

Sales assistant Maggie Stanley, 42, who sold the winning ticket, described the sale as just 'like any other transaction'.

The mother-of-three said: 'I didn't remember even selling the ticket - it was only until I arrived in work today that my boss had told me it was me who sold it.'

She joked: 'I'm a bit gutted I handed it over now!'

They have become the biggest ever syndicate British winners of the EuroMillions draw 

They have become the biggest ever syndicate British winners of the EuroMillions draw 

The previous record for a winning syndicate was set by seven office workers from Merseyside, who claimed half of a £91million jackpot in 2009 and were dubbed 'the Magnificent Seven' by friends.

The Davies's jackpot would be enough to snap up six townhouses in one of Kensington's most exclusive garden squares, or three Cessna Citation X private jets.

If they clubbed together, the winners could also now afford one of world's largest and fastest £60m superyacht - the aptly named Silver Fast features a helipad, outdoor cinema, spa, beauty salon and mirrored bar.

The latest win comes after an unnamed UK ticket-holder claimed £51.8 million on the EuroMillions in April, which followed jackpots worth £24.7million and £24.6million won by UK ticket-holders in February.

All three of those ticket-holders remained anonymous. 

SERIES OF LOTTERY WINNERS FROM SOUTH WALES HAVE EARNED THE AREA THE NICKNAME 'THE GWENT TRIANGLE' 

The family who won the £61m Euromillions jackpot live in the heart of a lottery hotspot which has earned it the nickname 'The Gwent Triangle'.

Football fan Les Scadding, 60, picked up a cool £45.5 million in a Euromillions draw in 2009 and lived the dream by buying his own football club.

Mr Scadding's millions helped to return Newport County to the football league while he was the benefactor and chairman of the club.

Monmouthshire is seen as lucky after a series of winners from the area in recent years

Monmouthshire is seen as lucky after a series of winners from the area in recent years

The former mechanic resigned in 2015 to spend more time at his luxury home in Barbados.

Mother-of-three Jenny Southall went from earning just £9,000 a year and living in a council house in Newport to an overnight multimillionaire.

The cinema supervisor won £8.3 million in April 2007 and happily shared her winnings with her large family.

Les Scadding won £45.5million in 2009

Les Scadding won £45.5million in 2009

The triangle's most recent winners were Pontypool couple Stephen and Keri Chick who claimed a £1 million lotto cash prize last year.

Pub landlord Nigel Willetts, 48, from Bedwas, near Caerphilly, won the same amount from the Euromillions in 2014.

Susan Wall from Abertillery won £2.4 million in September 2007 and Joanne Gilbert also from Abertillery, won £1.4 million in April 2007.

Retired miners John Ackerman and John Stinchcombe from Crumlin, shared a massive jackpot of £11.6 million in July 2006.

Gwent's first lotto millionaire was Hiram Jones from Blaenavon, scooping £1 million in December 1996.

A syndicate from the local paper in Newport, the South Wales Argus, shared more than £4.5 million in 1997.

A lottery spokeswoman said: 'This part of Wales has been lucky for a lot of people over the last 10 years.

'It can now boast two of the biggest Euromillions wins ever just a few miles apart.'

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Hitting the jackpot: How EuroMillions have made a series of Britons rich beyond their wildest dreams 

The National Lottery was set up in 1994 and since then it has made more than 3,700 new millionaires and changed the lives of thousands.

In 2004, Camelot joined with French and Spanish lottery organisers to launch Euromillions, with jackpots rising into nine figures.

Topping the list of British winners are Colin and Chris Weir from Largs, North Ayrshire, who scooped a massive £161,653,000 in July 2011.

Colin and Chris Weir remain the winners of the biggest ever jackpot after scooping £161m

Colin and Chris Weir remain the winners of the biggest ever jackpot after scooping £161m

Gillian and Adrian Bayford won £148m but have since split and argued with family

Gillian and Adrian Bayford won £148m but have since split and argued with family

The couple, who have been married for 30 years and have two children, shot above Ringo Starr and Sir Tom Jones in the Sunday Times Rich List after the win.

Following their win, Mr Weir, a cameraman, and his wife spent £3.5million on a Scottish mansion after looking at it for just ten minutes 

Gillian and Adrian Bayford, from Haverhill in Suffolk, are the second richest lottery winners after they won £148,656,000 in August 2012.

But the music shop worker and his nursing assistant wife, who have two young children, soon split after their jackpot win and both now have new partners.

Britain's third richest winner - who walked away with £113,019,926 - in October 2010 has decided to remain anonymous.

Among other notable winners is Neil Trotter, who was living in a three-bedroom suburban semi in Surrey when he scooped £108million in March 2014.

Only Fools fan Neil Trotter won £108m and joked: 'This time tomorrow, I'll be a millionaire'

Only Fools fan Neil Trotter won £108m and joked: 'This time tomorrow, I'll be a millionaire'

The former car mechanic later bought a £5million medieval mansion, with its own private lake and more than 400 acres of land.

In October 2011, Dave and Angela Dawes, from Wisbech in Cambridgeshire, won £101,203,600 and bought a £2million mansion in Surrey - but they have also reportedly split since the win.

Nigel Page from Cirencester, Gloucestershire, is in the top ten British lottery winner after he scooped £56,008,113 in February 2010. 

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