London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Feb 06, 2026

Euromillions: Couple bought £17 backscratcher after win

Euromillions: Couple bought £17 backscratcher after win

A lorry driver and his wife who won £3.6m on the lottery said their first purchase was a £17 backscratcher.

Lee Kuchczynski, 52, a HGV driver from Kendal, was at work when wife Helen, 58, rang to tell him they had won on the EuroMillions draw on 12 July.

Asked about his first purchase, he said: "I bought a new backscratcher because I snapped my other so I bought one worth £17 instead of £8."

Since then the couple have also splashed out on a new home and a car.

Helen said she was at home with their 21-year-old daughter when she got an email to tell her of the win, but initially she thought the message might have been a scam.


'Are you sat down?'


But after calling the National Lottery to check, she passed on the good news to her husband.

Mr Kuchczynski said: "She goes 'are you sat down?'.

"Well, obviously, I'm driving, so I pulled into a layby and she says 'we've won the lottery'."

After passing on the news, Mrs Kuchczynski, a financial administrator for a charity, still logged on to her laptop and started work.

She said: "I needed to do the girls' wages and I had to do that, so I just had to blank out what was going on and get on with it."

The couple said they hoped the win would not change them


The couple, who put weekly lucky dips on the EuroMillions, matched five numbers and one lucky star to win £3,665,079.10.

The numbers were 14, 18, 24, 25 and 50, with lucky stars 06 and 11.

Mr Kuchczynski said: "Hopefully as people we won't change, but we can just look after ourselves and look after the people we love."

On Thursday the couple, who have been married for 24 years, celebrated Mrs Kuchczynski's birthday by buying a new house and an Audi RS4 Avant car.

They said they never believed they would become homeowners after renting all their lives, and could not wait to move.

Mrs Kuchczynski said she was planning a shopping spree but would still be on the hunt for bargains.

Her husband said: "I might drag her out of Matalan and we'll go to Marks & Spencer."

News of the Kuchczynskis' win comes after a UK ticket-holder this week claimed a record EuroMillions jackpot of £195 million.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Belgium: Man Charged with Rape After Faking Payment to Sex Worker
KPMG Urges Auditor to Relay AI Cost Savings
US and Iran to Begin Nuclear Talks in Oman
Winklevoss-Led Gemini to Slash a Quarter of Jobs and Exit European and Australian Markets
Canada Opens First Consulate in Greenland Amid Rising Geopolitical Tensions
China unveils plans for a 'Death Star' capable of launching missile strikes from space
NASA allows astronauts to take smartphones on upcoming missions to capture special moments.
Trump administration to launch TrumpRx.gov for direct drug purchases
Investigation Launched at Winter Olympics Over Ski Jumpers Injecting Hyaluronic Acid
U.S. State Department Issues Urgent Travel Warning for Citizens to Leave Iran Immediately
Wall Street Erases All Gains of 2026; Bitcoin Plummets 14% to $63,000
Epstein Case Documents Reignite Global Scrutiny of Political and Business Elites
Eighty-one-year-old man in the United States fatally shoots Uber driver after scam threat
UK Royal Family Faces Intensifying Strain as Epstein-Linked Revelations Rock the Institution
Political Censorship: French Prosecutors Raid Musk’s X Offices in Paris
AI Invented “Hot Springs” — Tourists Arrived and Were Shocked
Tech Mega-Donors Power Trump-Aligned Fundraising Surge to $429 Million Ahead of 2026 Midterms
UK Pharma Watchdog Rules Sanofi Breached Industry Code With RSV Vaccine Claims Against Pfizer
Melania Documentary Opens Modestly in UK with Mixed Global Box Office Performance
Starmer Arrives in Shanghai to Promote British Trade and Investment
Harry Styles, Anthony Joshua and Premier League Stars Among UK’s Top Taxpayers
New Epstein Files Include Images of Former Prince Andrew Kneeling Over Unidentified Woman
Starmer Urges Former Prince Andrew to Testify Before US Congress About Epstein Ties
Starmer Extends Invitation to Japan’s Prime Minister After Strategic Tokyo Talks
Skupski and Harrison Clinch Australian Open Men’s Doubles Title in Melbourne
DOJ Unveils Millions of Epstein Files, Fueling Global Scrutiny of Elite Networks
France Begins Phasing Out Zoom and Microsoft Teams to Advance Digital Sovereignty
China Lifts Sanctions on British MPs and Peers After Starmer Xi Talks in Beijing
Trump Nominates Kevin Warsh as Fed Chair to Reorient U.S. Monetary Policy Toward Pro-Growth Interest Rates
AstraZeneca Announces £11bn China Investment After Scaling Back UK Expansion Plans
Starmer and Xi Forge Warming UK-China Ties in Beijing Amid Strategic Reset
Tech Market Shifts and AI Investment Surge Drive Global Innovation and Layoffs
Markets Jolt as AI Spending, US Policy Shifts, and Global Security Moves Drive New Volatility
U.S. Signals Potential Decertification of Canadian Aircraft as Bilateral Tensions Escalate
Former South Korean First Lady Kim Keon Hee Sentenced to 20 Months for Bribery
Tesla Ends Model S and X Production and Sends $2 Billion to xAI as 2025 Revenue Declines
China Executes 11 Members of the Ming Clan in Cross-Border Scam Case Linked to Myanmar’s Lawkai
Trump Administration Officials Held Talks With Group Advocating Alberta’s Independence
Starmer Signals UK Push for a More ‘Sophisticated’ Relationship With China in Talks With Xi
Shopping Chatbots Move From Advice to Checkout as Walmart Pushes Faster Than Amazon
Starmer Seeks Economic Gains From China Visit While Navigating US Diplomatic Sensitivities
Starmer Says China Visit Will Deliver Economic Benefits as He Prepares to Meet Xi Jinping
UK Prime Minister Starmer Arrives in China to Bolster Trade and Warn Firms of Strategic Opportunities
The AI Hiring Doom Loop — Algorithmic Recruiting Filters Out Top Talent and Rewards Average or Fake Candidates
Amazon to Cut 16,000 Corporate Jobs After Earlier 14,000 Reduction, Citing Streamlining and AI Investment
Federal Reserve Holds Interest Rate at 3.75% as Powell Faces DOJ Criminal Investigation During 2026 Decision
Putin’s Four-Year Ukraine Invasion Cost: Russia’s Mass Casualty Attrition and the Donbas Security-Guarantee Tradeoff
Wall Street Bets on Strong US Growth and Currency Moves as Dollar Slips After Trump Comments
UK Prime Minister Traveled to China Using Temporary Phones and Laptops to Limit Espionage Risks
Google’s $68 Million Voice Assistant Settlement Exposes Incentives That Reward Over-Collection
×