Biography of Chris and Colin Weir

A plethora of EuroMillions jackpot winners decide to remain anonymous after winning such a huge amount of money and the Weirs certainly debated doing the same, but sharing their financial blessings with others would be hard to accomplish if no one knew where their funding was coming from.

Colin and Chris got married in the early 1980s, spending the majority of their marriage living a modest lifestyle with their average incomes. Now they will be able to spend the rest of their lives with a seemingly endless amount of money to purchase anything they could possibly want while also having plenty of extra money to help others in need.

Winning the EuroMillions

In July, 2012 Chris checked the EuroMillions numbers results on the internet and was in shock after realizing that every single number on their ticket matched up. She immediately called Colin just to double-check that she hadn't made a mistake, but she hadn't. The couple stayed up all night talking about their win and processing the reality that everything was literally going to change overnight.

The next morning, they turned in their winning lottery ticket, bringing home nearly a quarter of a billion dollars, an unfathomable amount for the couple. After their story was released to the press, all the locals in their small town in Scotland rushed to the store where the Weirs had purchased their ticket in hopes that they too could strike it big.

Lifestyle Change

Soon after they collected their fortune, Chris retired as an NHS senior nursing manager at a local hospital and Colin gave up his job as a STV cameraman after committing nearly twenty0four years to the job. During his career, Colin had the privilege of filming many famous actors including Robert Redford and Cliff Richard.

Chris once said in an interview with The Daily Mirror Magazine, "We want to enjoy the experience, but we are not flashy people. Once we have shared our good news, we will get back to just being us." The couple did spend some of their money on luxuries for themselves, but they certainly didn't go overboard.

Colin's big purchase after the win was a box at the soccer stadium in Barcelona and he hopes to visit China, Australia, Thailand, and Cambodia in the near future. Chris' desire is to have a second home built for them in an exotic location, but for now she's content with their three bedroom house in the quaint town of Largs, Scotland, realizing their first house will always have a special place in her heart.

The Weirs are currently 430th on the European all time money list, just ahead of bookmaker Victor Chandler, Nectar card founder Sir Keith Mills, and the Marques of Bath, all of whom have just under €161million.

The Weirs Give Back

Nearly 80% of donations to Scotland's pro-independence campaign (Yes Scotland) over the past few years have come from the Weirs, as they are very patriotic citizens of their country and have always wanted to financially back their political beliefs.

The Weirs have also donated millions of dollars to The Weir Charitable Trust which financially supports other organizations in the areas of athletics, recreational facilities, animal welfare, health advancement, and cultural preservation.

They are constantly supporting new projects and their own website even states, "The Weir Charitable Trust aims to support Scottish-based community groups and small charities to provide services across Scotland to help the Scottish community." The Weirs are constantly accepting new applications on their site, which are reviewed by a board of trustees who decide if the cause meets the credentials that the Weirs are searching for.

Impersonation

In the past couple years, there have been hoax messages claiming that the Weirs have chosen people to be the recipient of millions of dollars. The scammers have used the couple's real name and photograph to make their emails seem more authentic so that more people will buy into their scam.

If a person responds to the email in an effort to claim their gift, they are asked to provide confidential contact information about themselves, which scammers use to steal their identity. Scotland's police department sent out a warning to all computer users to bring to their attention that these false emails continuously pop up from time to time.