Life in fast lane for lotto winners

So it's no surprise onlookers wonder who the unassuming couple getting into a flash Mercedes CLK convertible actually are, distinctive only because of their funny Midland accents and hearty laughs.

While they may not be instantly recognisable, Tom and Rita Naylor, who are the Black Country's biggest lottery winners, certainly have the wealth to match their well-heeled fellow competitors.

It is six years since the likeable couple won a colossal £15,528,286 on what was the National Lottery's seventh anniversary.

The Bullrun – of which they have just completed their second attempt – is just one of several ways they have chosen to spend their wealth. Set in the United States, it sees the world's fastest and most expensive cars speeding across highways, the drivers being some of the best-known faces from across the globe.

The list of past Bullrunners reads like the Who's Who of British and American television: Lost Boys actors Corey Haim and Corey Feldman have taken to the slick wheels, as has basketball legend Dennis Rodman, Star Wars actor Hayden Christiensen and Brit soap stars Will Mellor and Jeremy Edwards.

The Naylors have recently returned from the thrilling road rally which took them 3,000 miles from Montreal to Key West in Florida in just seven days.

Their regular shoulder-rubbing with the movers and shakers of the acting world is a long way away from the days when Tom earned a living as a lorry driver in West Bromwich and Rita at Walsall leather firm Daines & Hathaway.

As Rita now recalls: "I sometimes wonder how we ever found the time to work. We've soon found lots of other things to take up the time."

For Tom, aged 52, his time is largely taken up with his passion: cars. When asked what the new-found millionaire wanted to buy first just days after receiving his windfall back in 2001, he knew the answer immediately, replying: "A Jaguar, to replace my 20-year-old Ford Granada."

And true to his word, he snapped up the supercar almost straight away. But not one to do things by halves, he now has a fleet of six mean machines: a limited edition Jaguar XJR saloon, and XKR Convertible Jaguar, a Jaguar XJ2 20, a Bentley Continental, Aston Martin DB9 and Range Rover Discovery. "And if I do the Bullrun again, I want to buy a Hummer," he states, to Rita's disapproval. She can't understand his fascination with cars, and was dragged from the passenger seat of their battered old Granada kicking and screaming.

"I said I'd only let him buy the Jag if it was as comfortable as the Granada. Even now I still miss that car, it was really good to us," the 50-year-old recalled.

Her penchant is shopping. But while she might be found lingering just that little bit longer in Harvey Nicks or Selfridges, Rita is just as likely to be browsing the shelves of M&S and Next. "I'm not bothered about designers at all," she said. "If it looks nice, I'll have it." Her other indulgence is shoes – but only when she can find a pair to fit her tiny size two feet. When they scooped the jackpot, the Naylors were watching television in their three-bedroom semi in Birmingham Street, Darlaston – then valued at £50,000. Now the couple, who do not have children, live in a stunning converted barn near Wheaton Aston, which cost an estimated £500,000.

But while it was out with the banger and the modest home, there's little else of their "old life" the Naylors have been able to let go of. Their family and friends have remained resolutely faithful to the couple – and have been duly rewarded for their friendship and understanding.

Tom's brother Frank Moseley, of Cannock, was whisked away to enjoy the delights of the Bullrun last month. And Tom's best friend Stephen Abraham and his fiancee Lesley Windmill, of Wednesbury, are being taken on an all-expenses paid trip to Las Vegas for their honeymoon. Tom and Rita will be their witnesses on the Starship Enterprise.

And although their holidays have become more regular and luxurious, to far-flung destinations including Mexico, St Lucia and Los Angeles, Tom and Rita simply could not resist popping back to Cyprus and Greece where they spent many a happy package holiday before their big win.

Although they get invited to a charity ball here and there, sitting alongside celebrities such as Cilla Black, Shirley Bassey and Michael Ball, the Naylors feel much more comfortable in their local pub, where they like nothing better than a catch-up with the neighbours.

They've also donated a lot of money to charity and have visited Walsall Manor Hospital, where Tom was once a patient, to give out Christmas presents to youngsters on the children's ward.

With their tanned and jolly faces, beaming smiles and anecdotes in abundance, it's hard to imagine there's ever a depressing day in the lives of these two very down-to-earth millionaires.

When asked if there have been any flip side to their new-found wealth, Rita and Tom appear flummoxed. "I can honestly say I can't think of anything bad that has happened," says Rita.

"We really haven't allowed the win to change us. We are normal people and we do the same things we always used to. There's just a lot more choice in our lives now."

By Becky Sharpe.