A Glasgow man who slept on his grandmother's sofa for 15 years after being orphaned as a teenager has won £1 million on ITV's Win Win with Postcode Lottery.
Kieran McLaughlin, 29, moved in with his grandmother, May, nearly 16 years ago after he and his twin brother, Kane, were left orphaned. Their father died five years after they lost their mother when they were eight years old.
A Life Changed by a £1 Million Win
Speaking to The Mirror, Kieran said: "I've lived with my Gran since I was about 13. She took me in, and my brother and I each sleep on one of the two couches. It's insane to think that I've slept on a couch for 15 years. It's just mad. With the money, I can obviously just go and buy a house. I've been saving for a house, believe me, I've been saving. But it's just so hard."
Currently working six days a week, Kieran now plans to dedicate more time to his side-hustle. "I'm a civil servant Monday to Friday, and then I work as a bridal and event make-up artist on Saturdays as well. It's crazy because I can just have whatever time off I want now, I don't need to work six days out of seven. I'll probably go part-time in the civil service."
Plans for the Prize Money
He added: "I don't really do the make-up for the income. I actually do it just for fun because I love being a part of somebody's wedding and making them feel special. I think I'll try to focus more on that."
Following his victory on ITV, he was questioned about who he'd inform first. Kieran said: "I'm scared to tell my Gran because I feel like I'm going to give her a heart attack. She's 83, so I need to kind of ease it into conversation. I can't just disrupt her peace and kill off my Gran when I win £1,000,000 pounds."
He's planning to mark the occasion by embarking on the luxury cruise he secured with boyfriend Reece, a final year nursing student, in January. "He's coming on the Caribbean cruise, and then he starts his eight-week placement two days afterwards - it's such good timing."
Sharing the Winnings
He's also determined to split the winnings with his brother. "Every single week before I went to play on the show, he would ask me, 'What are you going to give me when you win?' And I said, 'I don't know. I'm going to think about it.' So, I will give him a good chunk of money. He's my twin, I've spent my whole life with him, and I just want to give him what I've got as well. I know he needs a new work van because his work van has just broken down, so I'll probably buy him one."
Kieran's also planning to bring Kane along on another prize he won, a Florida getaway, as they've got relatives there. The newly-minted millionaire is ready to begin property hunting imminently. "I'll buy a house straight away," he declared. "I'm usually so scared of spending money, so the second thing I'll do will definitely be to get a financial adviser."
Reflecting on the Show
In the programme, presented by Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, audiences have witnessed Kieran triumph across six weeks, ultimately defeating fellow contestant Sabrina to claim the top prize. He revealed he always believed he could secure victory. "From my audition, I said, 'I know I have what it takes to win the £1million. I can see myself in the final.' I'm either delusional or overly confident, or maybe I'm both because I've done it."
Kieran described appearing on the show as the "best six weeks of my life" but admitted he found the final stages incredibly challenging. "I felt so nervous, clearly, because I was crying like every five minutes. I could barely stand up."
Now, Kieran says he's still struggling to believe his win is real. "Hearing the word millionaire is crazy. That money is insane. People don't see that amount of money where I'm from. It's actually mind-blowing. I genuinely feel like I'm dreaming, but I also feel like I deserve it. It's crazy to try to put it into words."
Win Win with Postcode Lottery is available to watch on ITVX.
