"I JUST wish my wife, Edna could have been alive to see this!" These were the touching words of lucky pensioner Jack Hewitt after becoming the country's oldest-ever winner of the National Lottery's jackpot prize at the age of 79.

The great grandfather from St Helens, who scooped £1.6 million, thought his eyes were playing tricks on him when he sat down to watch the lottery draw on Wednesday, May 27.

He said: "I looked at the numbers when they had all been drawn out and suddenly thought: 'Them's mine!'"

Jack, who bought his ticket at Asda in Kirkland Street, has played the same line of numbers - 8,13,15,26,39 and 42 - since the National Lottery game started and all six numbers are special to him:

8 is the number of the house where he was born.

13 is the number of Jack's current home.

15 is the number of the house where his three children were brought up.

26 is the number of the house where Jack's first indoor bathroom was fitted!

39 is the year he signed up for the army.

42 is the year Jack and his wife were married.

He added: "I phoned my daughter Jacqui straight after the draw but it was a while before I managed to convince her that my numbers had come up. I asked her what the total prize was and when she said it was £10 million, I said: 'I'll never fit that into my pocket!'" Jacqui and Jack's two sons Geoff (49) and Neil (38) then went round to help celebrate their dad's big win and Jack added: "I didn't drink any Champagne as I prefer a glass of bitter but I did have a can of beer, a whisky and dry . . . and two paracetamol!"

Daughter Jacqui Collier (54) added: "I didn't believe him at first, you never think you are really going to win the lottery do you? But I am so pleased that he has won because it couldn't have happened to a nicer person. He really is the best dad in the world."

Jack, who shared the bumper pot with five other winners, added: "It's not really sunk in yet that I've won but I don't think the money will change my life. I'm not one for big houses and fancy cars, although I am hoping to spend some of it on a holiday for the whole family. But I do wish my Edna could have been alive to see this. She died four years ago and I still miss her."

Jack, who also has four grandchildren aged between 17 and 29, and four great children, aged between two and seven, has lived in St Helens all his life. After serving time as a driver in the army during the second world war, he started work at the former Beechams factory in Westfield Street as a pill maker before taking early retirement in 1977.

Now an armchair sports fan and a keen Saints supporter, Jack is looking forward to celebrating his 80th birthday in November in grand style.

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