Shock of death after £1.1m lottery win

The widow of a lottery winner from Staffordshire who died just three months after scooping a cheque for £1.1 million has told of her shock.

Father of two Colin Halford, aged 52, matched six numbers in last October's Lotto draw to win £1,134,695, but died last week from a rare blood disorder.

Speaking from the family home in Tamworth his widow Tina, aged 50, said she was "distraught" at the prospect of planning her husband's funeral.

"It is awful. I just need some space, I need time," the retired cleaner said.

"I have so much to do, like arranging the funeral. I am distraught just thinking about that.

"The people at Camelot have been brilliant, they are getting me through this," she added. A family friend described the Halfords as "one of the nicest families you could meet". "But this proves what they say – money can't buy you happiness," they added.

Mr Halford, a retired shift engineer and a keen horse racing fan, was diagnosed with the blood disorder just 18 months before hitting the Lotto jackpot.

The Halfords have a son Marc, an aspiring jockey, and a daughter Leanne, both in their 20s.

A Camelot spokeswoman said: "Our thoughts are with Tina and her family and we will be supporting them in any way we can."

Back in October Mr and Mrs Halford were unwitting millionaires for a week before they finally checked their ticket and discovered their win. The couple stopped at a newsagents to check their tickets while heading to the pub, and their planned quiet drink turned into a party.

Mrs Halford said at the time she was "shaking like a leaf" when she realised how much they had won.

The pair went on to celebrate their massive windfall with a trip to the races in Great Yarmouth, where their son Marc was competing in the Sam and Steve Maiden Stakes.

Colin and Tina had been looking forward to taking their grandchildren Jamie-Lee and Marcus to Disneyland.

Mr Halford's illness had caused facial swelling and liver problems.

He died just two days before Tina's 50th birthday.