THE mystery Worcester woman at the centre of the £33million Lotto jackpot riddle has been revealed as a divorced German grandmother with a heart condition.
Susanne Hinte, 48, claims she accidentally washed the winning ticket in a pair of jeans and is waiting to hear from Camelot to see if she is still eligible for the mega payout.
Miss Hinte, who lives in Warndon, Worcester, just a mile away from Ambleside News where the golden ticket was sold, was at home today "in floods of tears."
Speaking outside Miss Hinte's rented home, her daughter Natasha Douglas, 28, who works as a shop assistant at Morrisons, said: "My mum has a heart condition. She was in intensive care in August.
"She has never said she 'I've won the lottery', she's said she has the winning numbers and I've seen them.
"She's already had begging letters from people asking for money.
"She works and has worked all her life but I'm not saying what she does.
"She has two children and four grandchildren.
"If she has won she wants to set her family up for life and she plans to give some money to charity.
"She's said if she is the winner, great. But if she's not the winner, she's not the winner.
"The ticket has been through the wash, the numbers are visible but faded.
"She wanted to stay anonymous but obviously her name has got out through people talking on Facebook.
"If she has won the jackpot she will move house, we will all be gone.
"When she found out she had the winning numbers she couldn't breathe and she hasn't slept since.
"My mum had my children overnight on the Friday before the draw and forgot to check her ticket because she was distracted.
"I turned round to my mum after I heard there was a winning ticket bought in Worcester and said 'I don't suppose you've got the winning ticket'?
"So she searched the house and I got a phone call from her saying she'd got the winning numbers.
"We sent it off to Camelot. They give you 30 days to submit a damaged ticket from the date of the draw.
"She's never won anything before."
The day Camelot launched a huge hunt for the unclaimed ticket worth £33,035,323 Miss Hinte went into the shop with the ticket which she claimed had been put through the washing machine.
The winning numbers, 26, 27, 46, 47, 52 and 58 were visible but the date and barcode had been rubbed off.
Shopkeeper Natu Patel, 64, helped Miss Hinte place the battered ticket on a piece of card "to stop it crumbling" and she was encouraged to send it to Camelot for verification.
A friend and neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: "It's true (that Susanne Hinte has won the jackpot on the lottery).
"It's definitely her. She doesn't want it made public that she's won."
Another neighbour added: "I've heard it's her (Susanne Hinte) who won the jackpot."
Another neighbour said: "Susanne is very upset and doesn't want to say anything."
Another neighbour said: "I don't know Susan but I know she is German and has lived in the road for about 30 years. She married a soldier but she divorced him a few years ago.
"I've heard she's won the lottery. I read it on Facebook. I don't know what she does for a living.
"Good luck to her if she has won it."
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