Pure chance, a few hours before the sky, or rather a jackpot of 157 million euros fell on his head, the couple had "watched a movie evoking Cinderella".
So inevitably, this brutal change of life by the grace of the Euro Millions draw on September 1 tasted like a fairy tale when the two forties learned the happy news.
Especially for the lady who wondered for a while if it was not just a dream.
"I had the impression of being Cinderella, with the hope that all of this was very real and that the carriage would not turn into a pumpkin at midnight", she confided to the Française des Jeux (FDJ) .
This duo jealous of millions of small players has just pocketed the third biggest jackpot of the European lottery in our country, after that of 169 million euros won in 2012 in the Alpes-Maritimes and that of 163 million euros. in 2011 in Calvados.
The delivery of the pépets to these two Alsatians took place in a cozy lounge at the headquarters of the FDJ in Boulogne-Billancourt (Hauts-de-Seine).
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“They were at the same time moved, in awe and serene, calm.
They were also very attentive.
We have made an appointment at the next workshops that we are organizing for the big winners on wealth management, ”reveals Isabelle Cesari, manager of the Winner Relations department.
For the moment, “they continue to work” even if stopping working is “in their head”.
Random numbers and a fetish
The two lucky ones have validated their grid in Sélestat, a town in Bas-Rhin located between Strasbourg and Colmar.
On Tuesday night of the draw, it was the lady who checked the numbers just before going to bed.
Monsieur, he already had his eyes closed.
"Shocked" and "incredulous", she therefore woke her companion from sleep for a "startled" awakening.
“We haven't slept all night,” she confessed.
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These lucky guys are “regular” Loto bettors and “occasionally” Euro Millions when their jackpots reach astronomical amounts.
They tick most of their numbers at random but always have a "fetish" one: a date of birth, a street number ...
Until now, the modest sums collected and collected ended up in "a small box at home" looking like a piggy bank "to indulge yourself from time to time".
“Today, the box is undoubtedly too small to accommodate our gain,” laugh the lovebirds, who are keen to maintain their anonymity.
"All the doors are open to us today but the borders are closed"
With their big check of precisely 157,170,843 euros making them richer than wealthy, what are they going to afford?
Passionate about travel, they hope to be able to continue to travel the planet.
It's not easy in these times of pandemic to escape to the tropics.
“All the doors are open to us today but the borders are closed”, they say while remaining philosophical.
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What is certain is that they will grow their millions likely to bring them big.
“I invite them to surround themselves with professionals.
And I tell them:
Take the time to choose them!
»Suggests Eric Geron, training project manager at the École supérieure de la Banque, also speaking at seminars on wealth management intended for lucky millionaires.
He also advises them to "diversify their investments".
“157 million is necessarily destabilizing but it opens up a lot of opportunities!
»He reassures.
This involves investments in life insurance, shares or real estate.
"Real estate companies can build a tailor-made fund for them, with the strategy that suits them", specifies the expert.
While waiting to find the best financial options and conquer the world as they wish, the two Croesus apprentices have very modest ambitions compared to their limitless budget or almost.
"Simple pleasures" like "buying a new computer device" for him or a "pretty watch for her".
With 157 million and dust, it has, for example, the means to buy 11.2 million watches to the glory of its lucky star Cinderella, a chrome model with nylon strap currently sold at - 80% on the Web. It can also, without looking at the expense, opt for the most expensive model in the world, from Swiss watchmaker Patek Philippe, auctioned in 2019 for 28 million euros at an auction.
