Croydon mechanic scoops £108m Euromillions jackpot

Euromillions Tickets. Pic: Magnus D

Euromillions Tickets. Pic: Magnus D

A car mechanic from Coulsdon in Croydon has won nearly £108m on EuroMillions, after telling a colleague he was going to win earlier in the week.

Neil Trotter, 41, who runs the Chameleon Coachworks repair garage in Mitcham, won the £107,932,603.20 jackpot in Friday’s draw.

Since becoming multi-millionaires, both Trotter and his girlfriend have given up their jobs. He said: “Now I’ve won this, it would be rude not to retire really. I couldn’t go and do it now – I’ve been doing it 15 years.”

Trotter’s win has made him the fourth biggest National Lottery winner in Britain and the 745th richest person in the UK, based on the Sunday Times Rich List for 2013.

This morning Trotter told the National Lottery press conference that he’d predicted his win earlier in the week. He said: “I said, I won’t be working at all after Friday because I’m going to win the EuroMillions and I’m going to retire.”

“I was driving to work and I just had a funny feeling that I had to play the lottery.”

Trotter said his jackpot win still hadn’t sunk in. He added: “I haven’t been able to sleep much. Last night was the first night I’ve had a proper sleep since Friday.”

The mechanic and his girlfriend of eight years Nicky Ottaway were both in high spirits at the Lottery press conference in Surrey this morning.

Trotter recalled the first moment he checked the winning ticket. He explained: “Nicky said I went white as a sheet.”

Ottaway said: “It was completely unreal. We kept checking the date and the numbers. We just couldn’t believe it.”

The couple said they are not used to a life of luxury and don’t want to be frivolous with their money. Although Trotter, a keen racing driver, reckons a new car is on the top of his shopping list. He said: “We’ve been out looking at a few cars, but people give you the look like you haven’t got enough money to buy them. I thought I’d never be able to afford anything like this.”

Trotter and Ottaway also have plans to move out of Croydon to the country in search of a slower pace of life. The couple are also keen to share some of their newfound fortune with friends and family. Trotter said: “My little sister is struggling at the moment, so I’ve offered to help her out.”

Although Trotter and Ottaway have been together for eight years, they don’t have any plans for marriage since the win.

What’s more, they aren’t concerned that their relationship will suffer due to their new wealth. Ottaway said. “We like to think that it’s not going to change us. “We’re happy, it’s not going to make a real big difference. I’m not worried,”

“It’s a real life changing amount of money, everyone dreams about what they could do in the world to change things or help people out. With that sort of money, you can do a lot of good.”

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