Winning the lottery turned out to be a curse for the winner (5 photos)

Lara Griffiths and her husband Roger were living a modest life in West Yorkshire when they won £1.8million. But their dream quickly turned to horror after a devastating house fire and a bitter divorce meant they squandered their fortune.





"There was no common sense at the time. I don't even remember Roger and I discussing what to do with the money. I just remember there was panic and absurdity," says Lara, 54.

The couple, who tied the knot in 1997 after meeting at university, hit the jackpot in October 2005. Lara was a performing arts teacher, Roger an IT manager and their daughter Ruby was a toddler.



They became the first online winners of the UK National Lottery.

"It was about 2.30am and Roger started calling me upstairs to look at the computer screen and it said our balance was £1.8m," Lara recalls.





The Griffiths began to live in luxury, spending money like there was no tomorrow. They quit their jobs, started travelling, bought a beauty salon for £150,000 and a luxury home for £450,000.

However, in December 2010, their luck turned.

"We had a terrible fire. I was at work, and Roger was at home with the two children and the dogs. It was a real nightmare! We lost everything we owned, we didn't even have clothes. Our house burned for three days."



Lara with her new partner Ian

After the fire, the family spent eight long months living in hotels and with Lara's mother while their mansion was being renovated.

Despite an investigation, the cause of the fire, which started in a utility room, remains unknown.

"No one was hurt, but my daughter Kitty still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder," the woman shares.

They returned to their home in July 2011, but the British woman's misfortunes did not end there. Just a few months later, her marriage to Roger fell apart.



When the divorce papers were signed in December 2013, the family were left penniless.

"I had to sell my house, my business and then everything," says Lara. "It was absolutely horrific. I have Crohn's disease and I was about six stone [38kg] at the time. But I was just trying to provide for my children and not go crazy."

She still lives in the same house with her mother and daughters Ruby, 20, and Kitty, 17. Despite the difficulties, Lara remains optimistic: "I love my life now. Of course, I've been through some tough times, but I don't regret winning. I regret not having the money anymore, but I plan to get it back somehow."