Festive break-up

MORE than 400 people filed for divorce over the festive period – including 13 on Christmas Day, official figures show.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service received 455 online divorce applications from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day, with 13 submitted on December 25.

Since last year, spouses seeking to end their marriage have been able to complete the whole process online. A COUPLE who scooped a £115 million EuroMillions jackpot on New Year’s Day have described how they plan to share their good fortune with loved ones.

Frances and Patrick Connolly, from Moira in Northern Ireland, have begun drawing up a list of family and friends which currently stands at 50, none of whom have been told of their imminent good fortune.

Mrs Connolly, 52, said: “This is a massive sum of money and we want it to have a huge impact on the lives of other people we know and love as well as on our future too.”

Mr Connolly, 54, said the win felt “unreal”.

The couple said they sat in silence after they had realised they had won.

Mrs Connolly said: “We don’t really do excited – perhaps I raised my voice just a bit at the time when I found out – but we celebrated with a cup of tea and a hug.”

The couple, who have been together for 30 years and have three grown-up daughters, are still deciding how to treat themselves.

They pair live in a rented home and were considering a move to Croydon in March as Mr Connolly had been offered a new job as an operations manager. But since finding out about the win, he has decided to retire for now.