Lottery winner still working as midwife 10 years after becoming millionaire | UK News

A midwife who became a millionaire after winning the lottery 10 years ago is still delivering babies.

Ruth Breen was on her lunch break at the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary where she works in Wigan on this exact day in 2014 when she found out she’d landed a seven figure sum.

Ruth said she also wanted to carry on working to set a good example to her daughter, who was 11 when she won.

‘We’ve had great holidays, but we’ve tried to keep our feet on the ground and I think working really helps me to do that.,’ she said.

‘The universe gifted me something incredible but you can’t take it for granted, not everybody’s that lucky.’

The community midwife now arrives at her visits in a BMW X3, saying the need for boot space prevented her from driving a sportier model – and her first purchase following the win was a pair of Jimmy Choos.

She said: ‘I nearly cried when I was paying for them in Selfridges because I couldn’t believe I was actually able to purchase this and I had the money to do it. It was a little bit overwhelming.

‘That collection’s a little bit bigger now, I don’t cry as much any more.’

Ruth still lives in the house she bought just before her win and says most of the new mothers she works with are unaware they are being looked after by a millionaire.

‘I don’t introduce myself and say “oh by the way I won a million quid 10 years ago”,’ she said.

‘The vast majority of people haven’t got a clue and that’s the way I like it. I’m treated just like any other midwife by patients and staff.’

To mark the 10-year anniversary of her win, Ruth has been supporting charity The Baby Room, which provides essentials for new families in Wigan.

Alison Wakefield, who set up the baby bank in 2022 after having her youngest child, said: ‘Without our support we’d have babies that were sleeping on the floor, they wouldn’t have a safe space to sleep, we’d have them sleeping in drawers, we’d have babies using nappies more than once.