A woman who won nearly £2 million on the National Lottery aged just 16 says she’s happier now the money has gone.
Callie Rogers said she was bombarded by “fake relationships” with people who wanted to help themselves to her instant wealth.
It comes as four national newspapers today put the latest lottery winner – who won £3.6m – on their front pages.
‘Soft touch’
Rogers says she was a “soft touch” and “exploited” because of her age, with people asking for cars and computers.
Previously she has said: “Even if you say your life won’t change, it does and often not for the better.”
Rogers says the publicity was “the hardest part”, but for lottery company Camelot it was a “good story” that sent ticket sales ‘rocketing’. Camelot says she received “extensive” support.
Children aged 16 are allowed to play the lottery, but Rogers calls on the Government to increase the limit to 18.
Happy
Now, 16 years on, Rogers is earning £12,000 a year in a caring job.
“I am the happiest I have ever been”, she told the Daily Mirror.
Today, the Daily Express, Metro, Mirror and the Daily Star all feature the story of Dean Weymes who has won millions through the National Lottery’s “Set for Life”.
Jesus brings satisfaction
In 2010, Dr Chris Boyce, an economic psychologist, warned that “suddenly acquiring lots of money disrupts every aspect of our lives”.
“Money, as the age-old truism goes, does not buy you happiness”.
In 2016, Christian leader John Piper called on believers to look for satisfaction in Jesus, rather than pursuing cravings to get rich. He was writing as lotteries in the US and UK were set to hand out millions in winnings.
Piper quoted 1 Timothy chapter 6 which warns that people who want to get rich fall into “temptation and a trap”.