‘I accept I made mistakes, but the lottery did not ruin my life’
A lottery winner who spent all her winnings doesn’t have any regrets and says she still had a “great time”.
Lara Griffiths says it was indescribable when ex-husband Roger Griffiths told her he’d won £1.8million in 2005.
The couple split up eight years after the win when the money ran out.
But she says she is sick of being “painted as tragic” and a “silly woman” who frittered the money away.
In fact, the 53-year-old says the opposite it true.
She said: “It’s become an overriding narrative that the lotto ruined my life.
“People kept saying I was stupid, pumped full of plastic surgery and needed my kids taken away.
“But the fact is, I spent it wisely – and I had a great time.”
Lara and Roger were happily married when he won the money.
They immediately bought economy class tickets to Dubai, where they spent 10 days.
They also invested in the following months, buying a £150k salon in which Lara worked, 30 second hand cars and at least 15 designer handbags.
Lara, from Boston Spa, West Yorkshire, says they also got a mortgage on a house – instead of buying it outright for £450k.
But she says having all that money was a strange feeling and that the whole experience was “shocking” – in both good and bad ways.
Lara said: “Everyone always asks you what it’s like to win the lottery.
“But it’s not a tangible feeling – imagine being told you suddenly have two million in the bank.
“We went on holiday to Dubai and it was lovely, in the first instance.
“We didn’t fritter money away, though. We flew economy class, the cars were secondhand and we got mortgages on all the houses.”
Lara left her £40k-a-year job in teaching the following year, mainly out of fear that the teachers and students would look at her differently.
She worked full-time at the salon she and Roger bought together, instead, but claims she didn’t pay herself a salary.
Despite this, she felt “bored” – and her new job left her feeling “unstimulated” as her passion was in teaching.
Lara claims Roger also threw “a lot of money” into his fledgling music career – dropping thousands to fund a record with his old uni band. He confirmed he spent £25k.
By 2013, the money had run out – and Roger and Lara split.
The pair had two children together – Kitty, 16 and Ruby, 19.
The mum and her two daughters now live with Lara’s mum Norma, 86, in a four-bedroom house.
Lara says she doesn’t want her daughters to inherit a “legacy” involving her spending £1.8million in lotto winnings.
She added: “I fully hold my hands up and accept my mistakes.
“I’ve spent the last 10 years making sure my children have a nice life regardless of that.
“But the lottery did not ruin my life.”
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