It was an amicable divorce and Helen Halstead was happy to wish her former husband the very best of luck for the future.
She couldn't have imagined how quickly that wish would be fulfilled.
Just weeks after their split, bus driver Kevin Halstead won £2.3 million (US$3.5 million) playing the Lottery.
His ex-wife is now coming to terms with the fact that, but for the divorce, Mr. Halstead might have been legally obliged to share his windfall with her.
Instead, she is making do with her own bit of luck. As her ex was checking off his winning numbers, she won £5 on a scratchcard. Mr. Halstead, 46, who shared last Saturday's £4.6 million jackpot with one other ticket-holder, revealed how the couple married in 1994, only to split three years later.
Despite moving in with new partners, they remained husband and wife in name only for the sake of their daughter Jessica, 14.
They finally decided to complete the paperwork to make their break-up official three months ago. Yesterday, Mr. Halstead, from Preston, opened a bottle of champagne with partner Josie Jones, 43, a care worker, in front of a Stagecoach bus with ' Congratulations Kevin!' displayed instead of the destination.
He said he planned to continue driving the Preston-Bolton bus, which he has done for the past 17 years — after a few weeks off.
"I don't want to cut myself off from my friends and I really enjoy my job," Halstead said. "Maybe I will go part-time."
He revealed that he and Miss Jones — herself a divorced mother of four — plan to swap their rented terrace home for a mansion nearer his mother Joyce.
An avid Liverpool FC fan, he also hopes to splash out on a season ticket at Anfield and take Miss Jones — who has never been abroad — on a foreign holiday.
He insisted he and his ex-wife remain on good terms and hinted he might give her some of his £2,302,668 win.
"This win will help my friends out and she is still my friend," he said. "We divorced three months ago and split up about 13 years ago but we stayed friends — we did not get a divorce back then for the sake of our Jessica.
"We maintained being friends and stayed in contact every week. There is no bitterness. I know lots of marriages go through very bitter break-ups but ours didn't."
He also revealed that a Mrs. Halstead could soon be sharing his winnings after all. "Josie and I have both been married before and we are quite happy as it is — but who knows?" he said.
Last night, his former wife, 43, was putting on a brave face. She has already invited Mr. Halstead and Miss Jones for a celebratory cup of tea at her modest detached, three-bedroomed house in Coppull, Lancashire.
"It's fantastic and I'm made up for them," she said. "It really couldn't have happened to a nicer couple.
"I've not heard anything about whether he'll give me any money. That's up to him I suppose. I'm just over the moon for him. It's great news and he deserves every penny."
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Very happy to see that the ex's are still friends. I hope the money or the media doesn't mess up their friendship. I hope Mr. Halstead uses his money wisely.
The article read: "Despite moving in with new partners, they remained husband and wife in name only for the sake of their daughter Jessica, 14." Odd notion/mindsets ... how does the notion of adultery being practiced by BOTH parents "help" a child? The only outcome is that the child is exposed to two ADDITIONAL adults who have no qualms regarding daily displaying that they mock the union-of-marriage. Additionally, in the U.S.A., "married-yet-filing-seperately" income tax filers pay more than any other income group.
Congrats to the winner ... let's hope the ex keeps her hands off of the money !
They seem to be good terms with each other and I hope things work out for them.
All I can say is WOW!
Congrats to the winner! Good thing his divorce was final. This could have turned into a real mess!
Congratulations to Kevin Halstead! Hope his win brings him much happiness.
I wish Kevin all the best but I think he's mistaken if he thinks he'll be able to continue driving the bus.
You mean he ACTUALLY WON a Lottery where the prize has "£" in it? Every time I "win" one of those it's a scam.
Yeah I was thinking the same thing. LOL he'll learn real quick I'm sure.
Why did he go public? The UK lottery allows winners to remain anonymous, he should have taken that option. What is to be gained by going public?
When you're not mired in dogma it's easy to see that real relationships aren't based on a piece of paper. Anyone who thinks they were committing adultery doesn't have a clue what a marriage really is.
And where does the article say they're filing separate tax returns? I've known a couple of people who never divorced because they didn't want to divide or sell real property. In some instances a paper marriage is much more convenient than other business structures.
what a scam.... funny the letter i got said i was a winner also ...lol
I'll take a stab at this...He is a passive aggressive who really wanted to rub it into his ex-wifes nose...Didn't he say something about getting a mansion?
Kevin Halstead should reconsider any relationship with his ex, except to communicate with her in the interest of his daughter.
It is most unwise to remain in any other relationship whatsoever with his ex. This is what homicides are made of.
I just don't feel good about it at all. Being naive can get you killed. Nevermind good intentions.
He divorced his ex for a reason. He needs to move on with his life.
If they left of good terms then I say he should give her something but if she was mean to him and ruined
his reputation then he should ignore her