Lotto winner welcomes cancer advice

She scooped the biggest single National Lottery jackpot of £20.1m

Northern Ireland's biggest ever lottery winner has thanked people from all over the world who have given her advice on beating cancer.

Iris Jeffrey - who won more than £20m last week - is undergoing treatment for cancer of the gullet.

Lottery organisers Camelot said Iris was delighted with the support she had received.

Camelot chief executive Dianne Thompson said: "They have received medical advice from all over the world and they have passed this on to the wonderful team here in Belfast who have been looking after her.

"She is incredibly grateful. She has been overwhelmed by the amazing kindness that people have shown to her.

"She has had letters and calls from all over the place - from people she doesn't know - and she just wants to say a very big thank you."

Mrs Jeffrey, 58, bought the ticket on 14 July but only realised she had hit the jackpot after hearing an appeal by Camelot.

She scooped the biggest single National Lottery jackpot of £20.1m.

The married mother of two grown up daughters is about to become a grandmother in a few weeks.

After her win, she said one of her first purchases would have to be a new washing machine.

To date, former Belfast bus driver Peter Lavery was the biggest lottery winner from Northern Ireland.

He won more than £10m in 1996.