A Peterborough couple have been revealed as the winners of a lottery jackpot of more than £30m after they finally came forward to collect their winnings. Gerry Cannings, 63, and wife Lisa, 48, matched all the numbers in the draw on 13 February, scooping the windfall after buying five lucky dips.

The pair were out buying a fish and chip supper when they discovered they had won the Lotto jackpot. Describing the moment he finally realised his was the winning ticket, Mr Cannings said: "I said 'Bloody hell - we've got the whole lot'. I double-checked it, reading it forwards and backwards. It just didn't seem real but it looked right."

After rechecking the ticket and then looking online the next day to verify the £32.5m claim, the Cambridgeshire couple decided to delay the collection of their winnings for a week ... while their finished decorating their house.

Explaining why they waited to collect their haul Mrs Cannings, a school teacher, said: "I know it sounds mad but we had a guy in to paint the whole house. 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," she added.

Mr Cannings, a retired history teacher revealed how they intend to spend their millions. As well as planning a tour of New Zealand, Mr Cannings wants to spend £2,000 on a flight in a Spitfire. The couple have an 11-year-old son together while Mr Cannings has two sons from a previous marriage and five grandchildren. They plan to help their children but are determined not to spoil them.

"We will help them buy houses and make sure they are comfortable but we don't want money to take over their lives," Mr Cannings said. "We just want to carry on as boringly and normally as we always have."

While the lottery winners have a lot to celebrate, Gerry's ex-wife said no amount of money would be enough for her to take him back. Jenny Brown, 61, told The Sun: "My new husband asked if it would have been worth being married to him for £32m. No. I don't envy him and don't expect anything from him."

She did however add that she is thrilled her and Gerry's sons Andrew, 31, and Thomas, 34, and their children will benefit from the windfall. "I'm about to retire so I'm not going to be able to help them as much as I have in the past," she explained. Jenny said she and Gerry are still on good terms, adding: "He's a nice person."

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