Kevin Halstead, 50, spent last Friday out with friends after his decree absolute arrived.

The next day the bus driver bought a Lotto ticket. And later he sat stunned when he saw his numbers come up.

A friend said: “Kevin’s divorce dragged on for a couple of years. Everything was settled on Friday so he went out and got drunk. On Saturday he decided to spend his last quid on a lottery ticket.

“He checked the papers next morning and saw he’d won half the jackpot.”

But his former wife Helen, 48, who will not get a penny unless Kevin is feeling charitable, is not at all bitter.

Last night she said: “We’ve been separated a long time. We are the best of friends. In fact, we get on better now than when we were married. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer bloke. I wish him all the luck in the world – he deserves it.”

She added: “All I’ll say is I won £5 on a scratchcard on Saturday.”

Today Kevin and his new partner will receive their £2,302,668 cheque near their home in Chorley, Lancs.

They shared the £4.6million jackpot with another winner who also matched the numbers 23, 25, 28, 33, 44 and 49.

The fact that the parties have received their decree absolute does not mean that the financial side of the divorce is finished although reading between the lines I see the word settled has been used.

If they had not settled the finances then she would have been able to stake a claim on the winnings.