London couple wins $5M lottery jackpot

A London couple, who recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary, is on Cloud 9 after winning a $5-million jackpot in the Lotto 6/49 draw.

Larry Cluness, 62, said they’ve been playing the same numbers for almost 30 years. He purchased the winning ticket for the Sept. 23 draw at a Petro Canada on Dundas Street.

“I never use the ticket checker — I always hand my tickets to the clerk. And to my surprise, this time the terminal froze. The words ‘Big Winner’ came up on the screen and the clerk yelled out ‘you won $5 million!'” said Cluness, while at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to pick up their cheque.

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He went home and immediately shared the news with his wife.

“When Larry walked in the door, he was shaking and tearing up. I’ve never seen him like that before,” said 60-year-old Cynthia Cluness. “When he told me the good news, I couldn’t believe it. But then I started thinking about all the things we could do.”

The parents of three and grandparents of five already have a trip planned.

“I have a friend in Holland who often comes to visit us. I’ve always told her that once we win the big one, we’d visit her. And now we can,” laughed Cynthia.

In addition to making sure the future is financially secure for their children and grandchildren, the couple plans to move or renovate their home.

“Stairs are difficult for Cynthia so we need to move to a bungalow or renovate our current home. Knowing that we have so many options to make life easier and more enjoyable is amazing,” said Larry.