cancer-beater wins £45m lotto

An unemployed mechanic who said he is lucky to be alive after beating cancer, has spoken of his joy at scooping the UK’s largest lottery prize.

Les Scadding has been out of work since last Christmas and was £68 overdrawn on his bank account on the day he bought his lucky ticket in the Euromillions – which has given him a win of £45,570,835.50.

The 58-year-old who lives in Caerleon, near Newport, South Wales, with his wife Samantha Peachey-Scadding, 38, said they had not slept since checking the numbers online on Saturday.

The jackpot win has not come as a complete surprise to Mr Scadding however as he always believed he would one day win the lottery.

“It is a funny thing with my family but for the last 12 years I have always said I’m going to win the lottery,” said Mr Scadding, who has three grown-up children from his first marriage. “My family all laughed at me. My daughter, who lives in Abu Dhabi, always asked ‘Have you won the lottery?’ and I would say next time.”