Friends of a Wicklow Lotto player say she’s been as “cool as a cucumber” since winning €500,000 in a recent draw.

The lucky woman, who wishes to keep her win private, collected her cheque at Lotto HQ today after winning the top prize in the Lotto Plus 1 draw on Saturday, November 5.

The winning Quick-Pick ticket was purchased at O’Reilly Stores in Baltinglass in Co Wicklow on the day of the draw.

While taking the life-changing win all in her stride, her close friends thought that they would never get her to Dublin to collect her winnings.

“She casually told us that she had won the Lotto on the Wednesday after the draw and she asked us to come to Dublin with her to help her collect her prize,” said one of her friends in the National Lottery winner’s room today.

“That was almost three weeks ago! She has been going about life as usual, with a half a million euro lottery ticket in her bag. As cool as a cucumber!”.

While agreeing that it is a life-changing sum of money, the lifetime lottery player assured everybody that her €500,000 win will not change her outlook on life.

“When I won, I just knew that I wanted all of my friends here with me,” she said.

“We are all very close and I hope this will bring us all happiness. I have no plans for my winnings yet but I will take some time and put it to good use.”

Saturday’s jackpot is set to total an estimated €10m.