The ex-wife of the man who won a £32.5 million (US$45.5 million) lottery jackpot has said she would not take her former spouse back, even with his multi-million fortune.
Jenny Brown, 61, used to be married to Gerry Cannings, 63, who was announced yesterday as the lucky winner of the second biggest ever Lotto jackpot.
But management consultant Ms. Brown, who has since remarried, said: "My new husband asked if it would have been worth being married to him for £32 million. No. I don't envy him and I don't expect anything from him."
The couple were married for 25 years, but divorced 17 years ago.
Despite her somewhat caustic remarks, Ms. Brown said that she was still on good terms with her ex-husband, calling him "a nice person".
Mr. Cannings and wife Lisa, 48, were revealed as the prize-winners on Tuesday. (See UK couple waits for house to be painted, then claims £32.5M lottery jackpot, Lottery Post, Feb. 25, 2016.)
The couple admitted they had taken almost a week to claim their prize because they were having their house in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, decorated.
They realized they had won the jackpot the morning after matching all six numbers in the rollover draw, but delayed cashing in the ticket because they "thought it would be easier to wait".
It meant Mr. Cannings, a 63-year-old retired history teacher, carried the winning ticket in his wallet for a week as the couple waited until they had unpacked the boxes at home while deciding what to do with their £32,534,188.
"I know it sounds mad, but we had a guy in to paint the whole house," said Mrs. Cannings. "We'd been planning it for ages and had packed everything into boxes.
"We just thought it would be easier to wait, although it did mean that Gerry had to carry round the winning ticket in his wallet all week. It was very nerve-wracking."
The couple have been together for 13 years and have an 11-year-old son, Sam, together and Mr. Cannings has two sons — Tom, 34, and Adam, 31 — from a previous marriage, along with five grandchildren all aged under four.
Spanish teacher Mrs. Cannings took a sick day from work on Monday to prepare for the announcement before ringing her school to break the life-changing news shortly before a news conference on Tuesday.
Less than an hour before she and her husband Gerry faced the cameras, the 48-year-old sent a text message to her friends and family — a full nine days after their win — saying, "Won the lottery jackpot! Catch us on the news! Speak to you soon! OMG!"
One of her friends replied, saying, "Oh my God. Are you being serious xx".
Mrs. Cannings said she has not yet decided if she will give up working at Hampton College, but added, "All my marking is up to date."
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You almost would have to relocate. If everyone know you won.I would become a day care provider for all my grand kids.
Congratulations Gerry & Lisa
If I was her I would retire.
A million dollar home? That is a lot of space. Taxes, insurance, water bills, gardner, maid, chef, driver, and more.
Snarky and misleading article by the press. They have been divorced for a long time, both remarried, and both appear to be happy with their current spouses. Why seek her out for comment at all?
Agreed ! Like they're just trying to stir the pot.
The chart was interesting !
"Why seek her out for comment at all?"
I doubt that the media went looking for her. They'd have had to know or find out he was divorced, then look through old records to find out the name the ex had at that time, then find out her current name and then track her down. I don't think they'd go to the trouble for a non-story like this one.
Much more likely that somebody brought her to the attention of the media.
Older kids + younger kids + younger wife = divorced.
If the UK is anything like the US, for a small fee one can find out info regarding divorces/marriages online. Heck, all you have to do is google and find the info for free.
Another reason to remain anonymous! Once a winner is publicly identified, the media dig into his or her private life. How many people would be happy with that?
Exactamundo!
And also, not knowing exactly how womens' minds work, I'd suggest the following:
How about going to this guy whom you admit is a "nice guy"
and asking for an expensive gift two?
OK?
How would that sound?
Then, you come to the good ol' USA, and look me up:
Elmer Groppo, and get me something, like a nice Jeep or something.
(lol I thot "Groppo" was pretty bad, but "elmer"?)
Yup, exactly right. If she wasn't in the witness protection program, what kind of moron reporter wouldn't have been able to find out he was previously married with a simple click of a mouse? Second biggest lotto jackpot? Does a person have to be Edward R Murrow to know to do a cursory glance at his background in case there was something juicy there? That sounds much more likely than anyone needing to call the press to reveal the shocking and totally flabbergasting news that he had an ex-wife.
You're also right about the headline being snarky and misleading. It made you think that he was so awful even millions wouldn't be worth being married to him and that couldn't be further from the truth.
Any chance of seeing a US version of this. Would be interesting
The x-wifes comment: " I don't want or expect anything from him". She is a rare lady of good standing. Most former wives are taking their spouses to the cleaners. Glad to see a person who can Carry on in life without harboring ill towards another.
This Gent seems rather reasonable . May good memories be made with this kinda dough :) Paint the town Red now !
". . .taking their spouses to the cleaners."
Yes, and you have no idea how much that line cracks me up.
A couple people I know: Derek and some woman
A couple weeks ago, I ran into a couple people I know. OK, they are both black. I'm a better acquaintance with the guy than with the woman to which I found him speaking. Now, they're not together, but he was talking to her like he was giving her advice or something. They're both about 10 - 15 years younger than I am.
I'm really going to try to make this story shorter, but you really need to follow, to get the belly laugh that nearly sent me to an early grave: (but it won't have the same effect on you, I know it won't)
And when this guy Derek talks, it's like "this is how it has to be", "don't take that nonsense from him"-sort of attitude.
But anyway, so he's talking to this woman. And, from what I understood, she had told him about a relationship she was in, and finally went sour. And from what I know, her boyfriend is pretty well to do.
So, that's when Derek told her this:
". . .you need to take him to da cleana'z. Yeah, baby. Like whens you takes yo unda waya to Chin Lowes, down da street".
(Chin Lee Tau was once the local Chinese laundry owner down the street, when he was alive. His nephew or somebody has it now).
But, when Derek said that to this woman, I nearly DIED, and I'm not kidding you. I tried to hide my face, but she looked up and just caught me laughing, but she kind of grinned, because she no doubt knows of Derek's craziness, and I had to duck around the corner, and really thought I was going to die laughing. I'm laughing right now, typing this, wiping my eyes the same way I did the other day. There was more to the story, though, nearly ripped my guts out laughing.
I guess it's that I've known him a while, and he will come up with the craziest stuff, when you least expect it, like that.
It's a shame to think I suffer from depression, when all I have to do is think about what this nut says sometimes.