Paul Ridge has not seen his ex-wife Debbie Nuttall for 30 years until a woman who “looked familiar” appeared on the news brandishing a cheque for £61million
The former husband of EuroMillions winner Debbie Nuttall has quipped: “She can donate some to me, if she likes.”
Paul Ridge hadn’t seen his ex-wife for 30 years until a woman who “looked familiar” popped up on the news waving a cheque for £61million last year. They tied the knot in a registry office in 1992 but Paul alleges they parted ways within weeks. Now, the delivery driver and his current wife Paula, 57, have extended their best wishes to the jackpot winners, insisting there are “no hard feelings”. And Paul, 67, jested: “She can donate some of her winnings to me, if she likes. I’d be very grateful!”.
Debbie and her husband Richard were marking their 30th wedding anniversary in the Canary Islands when they discovered they’d hit the jackpot. The couple flew back home to verify the win before treating the entire family to a full English breakfast to celebrate. Recalling the moment he saw news of his ex’s windfall, Paul, from Colne, Lancs, said: “It mentioned Colne. I looked at the photo and said, ‘She looks slightly familiar’. She looked a lot different but she did look slightly familiar.”
Paul was a club DJ aged 35 when he met Debbie, who was 13 years his junior. They married after a “whirlwind romance” but the relationship quickly petered out. Father-of-two Paul said: “I have no hard feelings. It’s life, we all make mistakes. I wish her all the best. Nobody died, it was no big deal, really. Good luck to them. I’m sure they will enjoy themselves spending it.”
Paula added: “Congratulations. All the best to them.” Meanwhile, accountant Richard and Debbie, who is employed by a civil engineering firm, are planning to retire early and purchase a second home in Portugal to spend more time with their two daughters and three granddaughters. They’ve already treated themselves to a new BMW X5.
Debbie’s father John, shared how she waited to tell him about the massive win in person. He told the Mirror: “She said, ‘You might want to sit down for this’. I was dumbfounded but it couldn’t happen to a nicer couple.” John also mentioned that it was “more than likely” Debbie would do something charitable in memory of her cousin Ben King, who tragically passed away at 27 from a rare auto-immune disease.
