A British woman who squandered more than $2.2 million in lottery winnings in just eight years says she has no regrets about how she spent her cash and “had fun”.
Almost 20 years later after collecting the prize, mother-of-two Lara Griffiths said she was just “sick of being painted as tragic.”
“It became the main narrative that the lotto ruined my life,” Griffiths, from Boston Spa, West Yorkshire, told the South West News Service.
“People keep saying I’m stupid, full of plastic surgery and need my kids taken away. But the truth is, I spent it wisely — and I had a great time,” Griffin, 53, said.
Griffiths was “shocked” when her husband, Roger, told her she had won the life-changing prize in 2005.
Roger and Lara Griffiths, from North Yorkshire, won the lottery in 2005. Photo Agency Ross Parry SWNS
“Everyone always asks you what it’s like to win the lottery,” he told the outlet. “But it’s not a tangible feeling – imagine being told you suddenly have 2 million in the bank.”
Their first big expense? Immediately took a 10-day trip to Dubai — even though they still flew economy class and didn’t “spend money”.
The couple later bought a salon for more than $187,000 as an investment after Griffiths quit her $50,000-a-year teaching job out of fear that her students and colleagues would view her differently.
Lara Griffiths says the first thing she and her husband bought was a 10-day trip to Dubai. Lara Griffiths / SWNS
She started working at the salon without paying herself but said she felt “bored” and “unstimulated,” because of her passion for teaching.
The Griffithses got a mortgage on the new, $560,000 home instead of buying it outright, Lara said. They also bought 30 used cars and 15 designer handbags as investments.
Roger, Griffiths claimed, wasted money on his music career. He told SWNS he spent more than $30,000 to produce the record with his college band.
But eight years later, the money — and her relationship with her husband — have dried up.
Griffiths and her daughter Ruby live comfortably in the four-bedroom house even though the win is gone. Lara Griffiths / SWNS
Griffiths and her ex-husband’s two daughters — Kitty, now 16, and Ruby, now 19 — live comfortably with their 86-year-old mother in a four-bedroom house.
“I put my hands up completely and accepted my mistake,” he said. “I’ve spent the last 10 years making sure my kids have a good life regardless.”
“But the lottery didn’t ruin my life,” added Griffiths.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
