A millionaire lottery winner from Norfolk has revealed he lied about his finances, telling people he had just £5,000 left despite having more than doubled his net worth. Adam Lopez, 39, from Mattishall, won £1m on the National Lottery last July when he had only £12.40 in his bank account. He immediately quit his construction job, but soon grew tired of people telling him what to do with his money.
Speaking on the Anything Goes podcast, Lopez said: 'I just started lying to people. Someone said, “I bet you p***ed all that up the wall, ain’t ya?” I said, “Yeah, I only have five grand left. I’m coming back in February to work on the forklift.”' He added that he spread a rumour about returning to work, and people believed him. 'At no stage did people think Adam might turn that round a little bit,' he said.
In reality, Lopez's net worth had more than doubled, reaching up to £3m at one point. He invested in property and business, despite also struggling with gambling. He admitted spending £200,000 on scratchcards over his lifetime. He said he had 'no passion for life' before his win, but the lottery brought its own challenges, particularly 'leeches' – people who tried to direct him towards purchases they wanted.
He gave an example of a close friend who asked for £1,500 to pay for children's school uniforms, but later used some of the money on expensive wine and Chinese food. 'People are never as skint as what they make out,' Lopez said. He now regrets giving away too much money, though he has looked after those who looked after him.
Lopez is now in a relationship with a childhood friend and is investing in a local franchise. He has given up gambling but admitted he needs to work on his health after being hospitalised with a bilateral pulmonary embolism, which he attributed to his lifestyle after the win. 'The lottery did not push me that way, they looked after me with everything I could ever ask for, it was my own choice,' he said.
