For most, winning the lottery is a dream come true, but for many, it has led to broken relationships and family feuds. This week, it emerged that Gareth and Catherine Bull, who won £40.6 million on the EuroMillions in 2012, are living separately. Gareth, 45, now resides in a three-bedroom cottage a mile from the family home, and the couple are no longer Facebook friends—a sign of a relationship in crisis.
The Bulls are not alone. Les and Samantha Scadding, who won £45.5 million in 2009, divorced in 2013. Adrian and Gillian Bayford, winners of £148 million in 2012, split just a year later. Gillian Bayford revealed last year that she had not spoken to her 'greedy' family for nearly a year, despite giving them £20 million. She claims her parents and brother, who live in luxury homes and drive flash cars thanks to her fortune, 'disowned' her but still expect financial bailouts.
Jason and Victoria Jones won £2.3 million in 2004, just a month after marrying, but announced their divorce last August after Victoria met a businessman 100 times richer. Jane Park, the youngest EuroMillions winner at 17, took home £1 million but later considered legal action against Camelot, saying her life would have been '10 times better' without the win. Now 21, she has hired bodyguards after receiving acid attack threats from trolls.
Michael Carroll, who won nearly £10 million in 2002, declared himself the 'king of chavs' but squandered his fortune on drugs and gambling. He was jailed for cocaine possession and affray, declared bankrupt in 2010, and returned to work as a binman. 'The party has ended and it's back to reality,' he said.
