Dark tales of cursed lottery winners from sudden deaths to bitter divorces

Winning the lottery is simply a imagination travel existent for galore - but for others, it tin beryllium to beryllium a nightmare.

There person been plentifulness of stories implicit the past 3 decades of lottery winners falling into heavy despair aft cashing successful their millions, with marriages being destroyed, families being torn isolated and homes being shattered. While immoderate fortunate winners enjoy becoming millionaires, past has shown america that it's not each roses.

Some victims of the 'lotto curse' person blown their luck connected drugs, portion and mediocre investments, and others person butt heads with their loved ones. As the National Lottery celebrates its 30th anniversary, the Mirror takes a infinitesimal to look backmost astatine the not-so-lucky winners of the past...

Karl Crompton

Karl fell foul of the alleged 'lottery curse' aft his puerility sweetheart near him. He won £11million connected the National Lottery aged 23 successful 1996, and has doubled his currency done savvy investments.

But successful 2020, his woman Nicole, with whom helium has 2 kids, was pictured leaving their £2million location helium built for them successful Fylde, Lancs, and was spotted not wearing her wedding ring. "We're each a spot disquieted astir Karl," an anonymous pal told the Sun astatine the time. "He seems heartbroken."

Margaret Loughrey

For Margaret Loughrey, becoming a multi-millionaire overnight was a full nightmare. She won the apical prize of astir £27million successful November 2013 - aft picking up her summons pursuing a sojourn to the Jobcentre.

Until then, she'd been surviving connected €83 a week arsenic a divorcee successful a tiny cottage successful Strabane, Co Tyrone. The 3rd of six children, she rang her member Paul archetypal - who says helium instantly knew this wouldn't extremity well.

He told the Irish Sunday Mirror: "I was the archetypal to beryllium told. We were adjacent close up until the money. But from that time I knew. I told the remainder of the household this is not going to beryllium bully for Margaret.

"Over the years radical person said to me, 'It indispensable beryllium large to triumph each that?' But I'd accidental beryllium precise cautious what you privation for due to the fact that it astir ruined each our family. Not conscionable Margaret."

Within weeks of her jackpot, the unit of her windfall became excessively overmuch and she chopped ties with her household - but not earlier giving £1million each to each subordinate of her family, arsenic good arsenic a fistful of her closest friends.

Paul said: "She didn't privation america successful her beingness but inactive she gave america the money. It doesn't marque sense, does it? But she made definite we were each OK."

Within months, she was sectioned and past successful 2015, she was ordered to bash 150 hours of assemblage work for drunkenly assaulting a taxi operator aft boozing. She was besides aboriginal ordered to wage a erstwhile worker €35,000 successful an unfair dismissal lawsuit aft "mocking" his Catholic faith.

In 2019, she said her lotto triumph had "sent her to hellhole and back", adding: "Money has brought maine thing but grief. It has destroyed my life." But she pumped currency into her section assemblage - covering hard-up residents' ceremonial costs, and costly surgeries for sick children.

She died unsocial successful a bungalow aft abandoning her £1million Grand Designs-style location and being diagnosed with a 'serious illness'.

Now she is gone, Paul said prizes should beryllium capped. Paul said: "It's clip they look astatine the size of jackpots. They request to beryllium capped. An mean idiosyncratic moving successful a mill oregon a telephone centre similar I was can't woody with wealth similar that."

The relation of the UK National Lottery said: "Camelot takes its work of attraction to winners precise earnestly and each large winners are offered enactment and proposal for arsenic agelong arsenic they wish."

Lee Ryan

Ryan was 1 of the archetypal winners, scooping a whopping £6.5m weeks aft the nationalist lottery was launched successful 1994. He spent his winnings connected luxury cars, a chopper and a £2m mansion. But was aboriginal jailed for handling stolen cars and spent clip sleeping unsmooth successful London and aboriginal claimed his jackpot was "cursed".

Colin and Christine Weir

Colin Weir and his wife, Christine scooped an unthinkable £161million connected Euromillions backmost successful 2011. They became Scotland's biggest ever Lotto winners and dispersed their wealthiness - with monolithic amounts donated to important causes. Colin besides invested successful his favourite shot club, Partick Thistle, arsenic good arsenic buying a slew of cars and properties.

The mates shared their luck with friends and charitable trusts, but divided successful April 2019, aft 38 years together. Sadly Colin died from sepsis successful December 2019 astatine which clip his luck had shrunk by £40 million.

Before his death, helium had shrewdly bought a 55 percent involvement successful Partick Thistle truthful helium could donate the nine to the fans and guarantee it was kept successful the hands of the section community. At the clip of his death, helium lived successful a £1.1million five-bedroom seafront location successful Ayr, which helium bought successful June 2018 aft his matrimony split.

Adrian and Gillian Bayford

Adrian and Gillian Bayford won an unthinkable £148million successful the lottery successful 2012. But little than 18 months later, they had divided and misery followed, with the mates partially blaming accent connected their immense win. Ever since their win, they've some attracted attraction for their pursuing relationships.

His unchangeable miss fiance Samantha Burbidge, 30, near him successful 2017 and past helium was dumped by waitress Lisa Kemp aft she recovered messages to erstwhile occurrence Marta Jarosz. Adrian was dumped by ex-horse groom Samantha Burbidge, who is 16 years his junior, successful 2017, and waitress Lisa Kemp dumped him implicit saucy messages to his ex.

In 2020, Gillian was convicted of threatening her ex-lover Gavin Innes during their relationship, which ended successful 2017. But a proceedings revealed that the mother-of-two had been subjected to a horrific run of online maltreatment and mendacious allegations to societal work, her golf nine and a children's charity.

She went connected to wed Brian Deans successful 2018, who was antecedently convicted aft stealing much than £13,500 from Tesco successful a con involving putting done fake lawsuit refunds.

"I've known from the precise opening and it doesn't fuss me," Gillian said aft their wedding. "Everyone has a past but you can't unrecorded successful the past. You've got to determination on."

Jane Park

The UK's youngest Euromillions winner, Jane won £1million jackpot - but present says beingness was easier earlier her large win. She adjacent offered to wage idiosyncratic £60,000 a twelvemonth to day her, aft struggling to find a suitable partner.

She antecedently said: "At times it feels similar winning the lottery has ruined my life. I thought it would marque it 10 times amended but it's made it 10 times worse."

Roger and Laura Griffiths

The mates won £1.8million connected the lottery backmost successful 2005 - and the brace discontinue their jobs arsenic IT manager and teacher. They purchased a luxury barn conversion successful North Yorkshire, costing £800,000, and Roger made a grounds with his aged uni band. But contempt clever investments, the lodging clang saw the worth of their location plummet, and they divided successful 2013, with nary luck left.

Jason and Victoria Jones

The mates had lone been wed for 12 months erstwhile they won £2.3million triumph successful 2004. But 12 years later, they said the luck had ruined their lives - contempt owning a luxury home, sports car and awesome spot portfolio successful Devizes, Wiltshire. But they divided successful 2016, with Victoria speaking frankly astir the stress.

She said: "It's astir apt 1 of the worst things that's ever happened to me. Without a shadiness of a doubt. The accent it gives you successful beingness and adjacent 12 years down the line, I'm inactive classed arsenic a lottery victor and it's horrible. It ruins your life. People dainty you otherwise – it's conscionable not a bully thing."