A petrolhead car mechanic who scooped a massive £107million EuroMillions jackpot 10 years ago has revealed how he now owns a supercar, his own race team and a 500-acre estate.
Neil Trotter bought £10 of Lucky Dip tickets a decade ago today, and found out that evening he had matched the seven numbers necessary to win the huge jackpot.
And with his new-found wealth the self-professed car enthusiast got rid of his ‘old banger’ Ford Focus and upgraded to his very own race team along, alongside a 2014 McLaren 650S Spider with a personalised number plate worth £100,000.
When he is not cruising in his 3.7litre engine supercar with a top speed of 204mph, the racing enthusiast can be found relaxing in his mansion on his 500-acre estate with ‘at least’ six lakes.
The 10-year anniversary of Mr Trotter’s win comes as contestants have been told they could follow in his footsteps as another £110million Euromillions jackpot up for grabs on March 15.
Neil Trotter got rid of his ‘old banger’ Ford Focus and upgraded to a 2014 McLaren 650S Spider with a personalised number plate worth £100,000
Mr Trotter with his girlfriend of eight years at the time Nicky Ottaway celebrating the massive £107,932,603.20 EuroMillions jackpot in 2014
Car mechanic and racing driver Neil Trotter, with accounts assistant partner Nicky Ottaway
Mr Trotter said: ‘Being a Trotter, I always said I’d be a millionaire one day – and I somehow knew I’d win on the Lottery. I used to tell my dad I’d have a house with a lake, and he’d say ‘In your dreams, son!’
‘I had such a strong feeling on the Friday that I won that I even told the secretary at work. Winning allowed me to go back to my first love – racing – and I have the house with a lake too!’
However Mr Trotter, from Coulsdon, Surrey, has remained true to his word and has not married his long-time girlfriend of 18 years Nicky Ottaway.
Mr Trotter said after his win in 2014 he wasn’t going to marry her in case he ‘regrets it later’. The couple still live together on the estate.
Prior to the win, car mechanic Mr Trotter always had a passion for motorsport racing.
He had previously taken part in Hot Rod racing followed by Stock Hatch racing, and then the BMW Compact Cup in 2013 – coming in sixth place.
But he had to hang up his racing keys before the win due to work commitments and the increasing cost of running a race car
However after the win he now spends his time enjoying the sport he loves after winning an amount of wealth that put him ahead of most professional drivers.
Mr Trotter said he also bought a house for his little sister and a pony for his then 10-year-old daughter Annabelle.
The keen motorist had previously taken part in Hot Rod racing followed by Stock Hatch racing, and then the BMW Compact Cup in 2013 – coming in sixth place
Mr Trotter, from Coulsdon, Surrey, has remained true to his word and has not married his long-time girlfriend of 18 years Nicky Ottaway. The couple pictured in 2014
After Mr Trotter went public with the win in 2014, it was revealed his father Mr Trotter Snr already owned a substantial house in South London with no fewer than four cars parked on the driveway.
A Porsche, a Jaguar F-type and a 4×4 were parked on the drive of the vast, detached property belonging to Jim Trotter, then 69.
Mr Trotter said at the time: ‘Me and my dad thought we’d heard all the Only Fools and Horses jokes but I can see this is going to run and run. Still, being Trotters we were always going to be millionaires one day.’
His father was a director of three companies, including a cat litter distributing business worth £2.4million. Documents filed with Companies House show that the company, of which Mr Trotter Snr has been a director for 22 years, often filed profits of more than £130,000 in the past two decades.
The company, B&D Clays, had interests in Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Spain, and the U.S. and claims to work on behalf of many major companies in Europe.
When Mr Trotter and partner Miss Ottaway learnt of the win 10 years ago today, they celebrated their win with two bottles of Budweiser beer, before they spent a restless night excitedly contemplating how their lives would change.
He said his former partner, and mother to his then 10-year-old daughter, texted him after she learned of his good fortune while on honeymoon in Mexico with her new husband, who worked for Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone. Mr Trotter said: ‘She said ‘That’s just typical of you, Trotter’.’
He learnt that he was the single ticket holder to scoop the massive jackpot on Friday evening at around 10.30pm.
He said at the time: ‘I’ve always thought I’d win big and I’d had a good feeling all week.
‘On Friday evening we were sitting at home when I checked the time and thought the draw must have taken place by now. I took out my ticket to check the winning numbers and amazingly one by one they matched.
‘I told Nicky, my partner, ‘I’ve done it, I’ve won the lottery, I’ve won the lot’. But she told me to shut up and to stop being an idiot. ‘
‘Apparently I turned white as a sheet and couldn’t sit still, I kept walking round the house – I didn’t know what to do with myself.
‘I got her to check the numbers with me and she started screaming.
‘Next we called my dad but he said I was being an idiot too and that I should stop drinking, but I hadn’t had a drop.
‘Even when we jumped in the car and drove round, it took him a while to realise we were serious. My dad’s not often lost for words but he was on Friday night.’
After the win he quit his job repairing other people’s cars immediately and took time off to enjoy following the British Touring Car Championships.
Miss Ottaway, who also immediately resigned on the morning of the win, was an accounts assistant.
She has a love of horse riding and said she would buy horses and a stable.
At the time of the win, Mr Trotter’s ex whom he shares his daugher with, was on her romantic honeymoon in Mexico.
At the time she showed no bitterness on learning that her ex had suddenly become one of the richest men in Britain.
Instead, she sent him a joking text message: ‘That’s just typical of you, Trotter.’
Mr Trotter appeared amused when asked if he would be buying his ex-girlfriend a house – and explained that she and her husband were rich enough already.
Andy Carter, Senior Winners’ Advisor at The National Lottery, said ‘EuroMillions players’ hearts will be racing this weekend with this exciting EuroMillions £110M Super jackpot ready to be won!
‘I’ve been lucky enough to have met so many players that have won big on The National Lottery, and the best advice I can give to any new winner is to take your time to plan out what you want to do with the win and who you want to help out.
‘Whilst supercars and extravagant holidays are great, it’s always best to take a minute to really think about what you want to spend the life-changing win on before rushing into making any big decisions.
‘My team and I have our fingers crossed for all UK players and are on standby to support our big winners as they start their life-changing journey.’