Kelly Dighton, a mother-of-three from Suffolk, has revealed she still enjoys shopping at Primark despite winning £11.5 million last year. She recently treated her friends to a shopping trip at the Primark store in Birmingham, telling them to 'get what you want'.
Winning the jackpot
Dighton won the life-changing sum alongside her former partner Arron Freeman after placing a £1.50 bet on the 'Mega Moolah' online slot game. The pair have since split and divided the winnings, each taking home £5.5 million.
Dighton had always believed she would become a millionaire, often telling her parents this during her childhood. When she turned 16, her father allowed her to enter the lottery. Although her six numbers did not come up, the same numbers appeared in the Irish lottery that evening, reinforcing her conviction that her time would come.
Still loving Primark
Despite her newfound wealth, Dighton continues to hunt for bargains. Speaking on the Tea At Four podcast, she said: "Don't get me wrong, these (shoes) are Gucci. I've bought a couple of handbags and stuff like that. When I first won it, I went to Flannels. I was like, 'Yeah, let's go.' Me and my daughter, she is 24 so was like, 'Come on mum.' And then after that, it just wears off. And I can just like buy a £5 skirt and put one of my nice bags and people are always thinking it's expensive aren't they because of what I've got."
One of the best parts of winning, she said, is enabling friends to "enjoy the ride" with her. Her social media bio reads "from council estate to multi-millionaire", and she has moved to a new property where she cooks for up to 12 friends who visit. Recalling a recent outing, she said: "We went to Primark in Birmingham and I was like 'Girls, get what you want.' And I know it is only Primark but to them that's lovely, do you know what I mean? And it's lovely for me. I love a Primark haul."
Reality and challenges
Even after winning, Dighton said the reality has not fully sunk in. "I still feel numb now," she explained. "I still don't think it's real until I open my eyes and I check my bank. I check my bank every day and I'm like, 'Is it a dream?' I still feel like someone's going to wake me up."
Her first major purchase was a £425,000 property for her cousin, whom she considers like a daughter. However, the win has also brought negative attention. Dighton, who has been clean after battling a drug addiction that led to a conviction following a collision with an off-duty police officer while under the influence four months before her win, said an acquaintance once faked a brain tumour to ask for money. She also faced death and kidnap threats after her win was made public.
She regularly receives letters requesting money. One of the most "ridiculous" requests came via Facebook: "Someone messaged me on Facebook saying, 'Me and my partner have retired, but we really want to live in Spain and open a dog shelter — will you please give us £50,000 to move to Spain and open a dog shelter?'"
Dighton, who said she plans to stay single for the foreseeable future, insisted that while money cannot buy health or love, it does buy happiness. Securing her children's futures remains her top priority. "If I can give them what they need, I can live in a comfortable house and I've got no money worries, of course I'm going to be happy. I could jet off to Spain, Jamaica. Like, when people say that don't buy happiness, that does. It don't buy love, and it don't buy health, but it definitely buys happiness."
