Lottery winner Frances Connolly offers to buy her sister’s house she was about to los

GENEROUS EuroMillions winners Frances and Patrick Connolly have pledged to buy the home of her sister - which she was about to lose following her divorce.

Sharon Graham, 42, was forced to put her house on the market last year after her marriage broke down, but former teacher Frances has stepped in with a generous offer.

Sharon told The Sun she “couldn’t be happier” for her sister’s “ridiculous” win.

Speaking in the family home in the sleepy village of Glebe in Co Tyrone, she said: “Whenever she phoned I was so excited, and in total disbelief.

“The first thing she said was ‘Sharon, you don’t have to sell your big house now’, so me and my two children will be able to go back home.”

After putting her house on the market, Sharon had moved back into the family home to care for her sick mother.

But despite the huge windfall, Sharon says none of the family will be asking for handouts from their incredibly rich relatives.

She said: “None of us are expecting anything, we’re just so happy for them.

“Frances and Paddy are such kind and selfless people, they get a lot of joy from helping people – this won’t change them at all. No one deserves this more than them.

“They’ve been flat out since they heard they won so we haven’t really had a chance to properly speak to them.”

The lucky couple from County Down, Northern Ireland, scooped £114,969,775.70 — making them the fourth biggest UK lottery winners in history.

After sharing their news at a press conference in the Culloden Hotel in Belfast on Friday, the couple flew to Hartlepool – where they lived for 25 years - where they will be reunited with their daughters Katrina, Fiona and Natalie, who has been living in New Zealand, and their three grandchildren.

Sharon added: “You couldn’t have planned it better if you tried.

“It is purely coincidental that Natalie was flying back from New Zealand this weekend, Frances and Paddy booked their flights over to England a few weeks ago.

“She didn’t come home over Christmas so they all planned to meet in Hartlepool as Fiona, Katrina and their kids live over there.”

Daughter Natalie has been living in New Zealand for the last year teaching paddle boarding after completing a Masters degree, and had planned this eight-week trip home long before finding out about the lottery win.

Sharon is hoping to see her sister soon – and congratulate her in person.

She added: “Since they heard the news they’ve been so busy but I told her to let me know when everything has settled down so we can meet.

“The whole family is in shock – it’s not a normal amount of money.”

Frances and Patrick currently rent their home in Northern Ireland and say they will use the money to move back to England and buy a house.

Speaking at the press conference on Friday, Frances said: "I always hoped we would win the lottery one day, but when we did, it would be just our luck that lots of others would win on the same day with the same numbers too - never in my wildest dreams did I think we would ever win almost £115 million."