A woman who won £500,000 on a scratchcard met a tragic end, with friends saying the windfall was the 'worst thing' to happen to her. Helen Ford, from Penarth, Wales, claimed her prize in September 2003 but soon revealed she was struggling with manic depression, a condition diagnosed when she was 25.
In an interview shortly after her win, Ford said: 'People seem to think I should be happy all the time because of the lottery. But money doesn't buy you health and happiness.' She also disclosed a suicide attempt, adding: 'The low points of my illness are terrible and when I get down it's hard to get out of it.'
Ford used some of her winnings to buy an apartment in Penarth, take a trip to the Seychelles, purchase a Fiat Punto, and adopt a cat named Mowgli. She also donated to Gamblers Anonymous. However, friend Tracey Alexander said: 'When she won the lottery it was the worst thing that could have ever happened to her. She was unable to cope with being responsible for the money.'
In January 2015, Ford was struck by a train at Dingle Road Station after walking onto the track. At an inquest, Cardiff assistant coroner Thomas Atherton ruled there was insufficient evidence to determine if she intended to take her own life. Psychiatrist Dr Martyn Davies noted Ford would take regular overdoses as a 'cry for help' but would then return to her 'normal happy and smiling self'.
Ford's sister, Rebekah Donovan, said after her death: 'The worst thing to have happened to her was to win that money.' Her brother Simon Ford paid tribute, recalling her talent as a dancer and her acceptance to the Rambert School of Ballet in London, where her mental health began to decline.
