A Cork family syndicate collected their €500,000 EuroMillions Plus prize from National Lottery HQ today – but it could have all been so different were it not for one woman’s diligence.

The family, who wish to keep their identity private, outlined the incredible circumstances in which they found out about their €500,000 windfall.

“My husband was on the computer on Tuesday night and I asked him to look up the results of the EuroMillions draw,” one of the winners beamed.

“Moments later, I saw him crumple up the ticket as he informed me that I was out of luck.”

“Later that night, for some reason I questioned whether or not my husband had also checked the EuroMillions Plus numbers.

“When he finally got around to checking the numbers, there was a stunned silence in the room and I knew something had happened.

“It just goes to show that you have to check your lottery tickets very carefully before throwing them away.”

The winning ticket was a Quick-Pick selection for the Tuesday May 10 draw.

It sold at Centra in Doneraile, Co Cork on the day of the draw.

Discussing their plans for their winnings, she added: “We have always wanted to go on a cruise around the world so that will be something we will do very soon.

“We are a close-knit family so this win will give us some financial security for many years’.

The win marks the second time this week that an inspired intervention by a wife has resulted in a huge EuroMillions pay-out.

Yesterday, a lucky Dublin man scooped the €500,000 EuroMillions Plus jackpot prize when he found his winning ticket, only after his wife instructed him to tidy up their bedroom.