When Lawrence Candlish won £5.5 million (US$8.8 million) playing the National Lottery in 1997 it promised to make his dreams come true, including buying himself the double hip replacement he needed.
The generous factory worker immediately shared his fortune with his many relatives, shelling out £370,000 (US$590,000) to buy seven houses in the same street in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear so that they could be close together.
Eventually he moved with his family to Benidorm on Spain's Costa Blanca to make a new life.
But now the 36-year-old Newcastle United fan is back in England and admits he has "blown the lot."
The penniless Geordie's Spanish villa has been seized by the bank and he has abandoned his Irish-themed pub.
His sister has also lost her Spanish home and his mother's may follow. It is reported that Lawrence, 36, was so broke he had to borrow his taxi fare to the airport.
Since the hard-drinking Geordie's win, which put him at 61 on the Sunday Times rich list, fortune has not been kind to him.
His best friend died, and in 2000 he and his family fled Tyneside after thugs torched his house and his sister's car.
Then, in 2009, his beloved father was found hanged in the home his son bought him.
Before Lawrence returned home from Spain, he told friends on Facebook, "I won the lottery 13 years ago and blew the lot so I have plenty of stories to tell."
He added, worryingy, "Mite have 6 grams of coke so I can chew me ear off watching Emmerdale."
Lawrence's story echoes that of former garbage man Michael Carroll who turned up to collect his £9.7 million (US$15.5 million) win wearing an electronic offender's tag.
Nine years on, the self-styled King of Chavs, is back to where he started — on the dole after squandering his fortune on drugs, gambling and thousands of prostitutes.
But last year he insisted he is just as happy getting £42 a week in jobseeker's allowance.
Carroll said, "The party has ended and it's back to reality. I haven't got two pennies to rub together and that's the way I like it. I find it easier to live off £42 dole than a million."
"It's a bit strange going on the dole again because that's what I was doing before I won."
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Thank to shirley for the tip.
Terrible tragedy perhaps money management is what is needed, to help people not to go off the rails, otherwise its a case of a fool and his money.
Yikes, I am glad that I am a saver.
Money is for spending,but sensibly.
i really dont know what to say. somehow trying to suggest something sensible would be a moot point. 13 years is a good innings. and they both came thru it alive! more than some winners can claim.
Strange now they are poor they are happy, do you realy need that amount of money.
what is a Chav?
This guy had some bad things happen in his life which some could probably been avoided if he'd claimed it quietly without going public. But I don't really buy into "Lottery Curses" and ascribe every BAD event in someone's life to winning a jackpot. It seems some sound financial advice should be sought by these people....Maybe I don't know much about how much things cost in Europe but seems trying to retire and buy a villa in Spain was a little much with a jackpot of ($8million). Perhaps he overestimated how much money he actually had......
According to Wikipedia, a Chav is UK slang for "aggressive teenagers, of white working class background, who repeatedly engage in anti-social behaviour such as street drinking, drug abuse and rowdiness, or other forms of juvenile delinquency."
Sounds exactly like the kind of person you'd want to give a large sum of cash to.
A fool and his money were lucky to get together in the first place.
...and that sums it up entirely!
Don't feel sorry for him. Whose fault was it, anyway? Some people are fortunate enough to be gifted with such a lottery treasure...that most people would <snip> near die for...and what do they do with it -- squander it. Hey, he might be lucky enough to win again, but I hope he's learned his lesson. Indeed, it was his relatives that did him in, his downfall (so sad and pathetic).
Seven houses for under $600G? Unless they meant "each", he got some good deals... and got to have more fun than most people ever will. I say buy another ticket.
You know what people, we read this stories all the time, and I have to admit.....
I JUST DON'T GET IT!
For somebody like me who has it written down steps to take when i win..... (lol) ; i see know since i have a plan, Im destine not to win. I 'm with you sully, I do save/ and work hard, speaking of........ got to go .
Live and Learn
Thats why 3 digit is my main focus.