I won £1m jackpot with husband but he died 3 months later – I found love again & splashed cash on wedding 6 years later
A JACKPOT-winning mum has told of her rollercoaster few years after losing her husband – then finding love again.
Tina Freeman and husband Colin scooped a massive £1.3million in the lottery in 2008.
She said they were a couple who were “very careful with money” – and tried to carry on like that in the time after their massive win.
But tragedy struck just months later when Colin, the father of her children, developed a rare disease and died.
Tina told the Mirror: “I was absolutely distraught.
“We’d been married for 30 years, and the moment we struck lucky, Colin was taken from me.”
However, in the years that followed, Tina found love again – and splashed cash on a lush wedding.
Speaking of life before the win, the grandmother said: “When I won, my first husband Colin was on sick leave after working in the mines, and we had survived on £40 a week.
“Just seven weeks later, he died. I would have given every penny back to hold him again but I had to carry on.
“Life is too short and you have to grab happiness. I met Kev on a dating site in 2013 and we decided to marry a year later.”
She explained that she kept her wealth hidden from Kevin when she first met him.
And when Tina told him she had a secret – a good one – he told her to only spill the beans if she felt right about it.
The mum-of-two explained: “He didn’t believe me at first.
“The money didn’t change anything for Kevin. He’s his own man and has never bothered about how much is in my bank account.”
The couple tied the knot in September 2014 – at the church where Colin had been laid to rest.
Tina recalled: “I begged and borrowed when I married Colin.
“This time, thanks to the win, I was able to have everything I wanted – without going silly, of course.”
It’s not unusual for lucky Brits to share the details of their big lotto wins.
One man who scooped £2.4m has landed a medal for England thanks to an amazing purchase with his winnings.
Neil Jones, 59, had just £13 in his pocket when he and partner Julie Kirkham scooped the life-changing cash just before Christmas 2010.
Little did Neil know, one of his first purchases as a National Lottery millionaire would lead to international sporting honours.
Having played snooker as a junior, the lucky punter, from Stoke-on-Trent, decided to buy a pool table after netting the cash.
After honing his skills and rising through the ranks, he ended up captaining his country to a podium finish at the recent European Pool Championships.
Neil and his England team competed valiantly in the Euros in Malta and came home with a bronze medal.
Elsewhere a golf-lover whose wife won £1m on the lottery revealed he spent the money on a brand new car and set of custom-made clubs.
Ceri Ann Roscoe-Roberts, 42, bought a ticket for Friday’s special EuroMillions draw before forgetting all about it.
But when she woke up again the next day she found out she’d won.
And her husband Paul, 45, a golf course manager in Bangor, has already treated himself to a new set of golf clubs.
Paul said: “The first purchase was a set of golf clubs believe it or not.
“I have never been able to or wanted to do in a way go somewhere get custom fit and then walk out with the clubs.”