Lottery millionaire goes back to work

Published: June 18, 2007 | 6375th good news item since 2003

Just weeks after scooping £1.1 million on the National Lottery, Joanne Gilbert, 47, has returned to her old job working in a hospital laundry at Cwmbran’s Llanfrechfa Grange Hospital.

Though practically everyone would have understood if she swanned off to exotic locations and bought a big house, Ms Gilbert said she could not leave behind such an important part of her life.

“I know it might seem strange to some people but I’ve been working at the hospital for 21 years, and it is a big part of my life,” said Ms Gilbert.

“I just wanted to get back to normality. The best way doing that was to stay in my old routine, including going back to work. I’m determined to keep my feet on the ground and just wanted to put my life back on an even keel after all the excitement.”

Ms Gilbert will also continue living in her modest £90,000 terraced house in Abertillery.

Ms Gilbert discovered she had won the jackpot whilst staying with her family in a Caravan park in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.

“The Lotto draw was happening on the television, so I decided to get a pen and paper to check the numbers,” she recalled.

“All of a sudden I realised I’d written down all six of my regular numbers. I went to see my friends Kay and Tony who stay in the caravan pitch next to mine and we all just stood there looking at the ticket in disbelief.”

Her winning numbers were a mixture of family birthdays that she has used ever since the lottery began. She has also said that she will continue to play the lottery.

Ms Gilbert, who has just returned from a holiday in Turkey with her only son Marcus, 31, and his girlfriend, also plans to make a life-long dream come true and take her family to Disneyland in Florida.

However, she has warned off any potential suitors that may have any designs on her and her new fortune.

“Don’t bother, I’m happy living on my own with my two dogs,” Ms Gilbert quipped.

Published in Sudden Wealth
See also: www.jackpot.co.uk