A 17-year-old girl won the lottery, but says it 'ruined her life'

Photo credit: Getty
Photo credit: Getty

From Cosmopolitan UK

You're probably not the only one who's ever caught themselves in the midst of a 10-minute-deep daydream about what you'd do and where you'd go if you won the lottery. It'd make everything easier, not having to worry about money.

But apparently that's not always the case. Not according to Jane Parks, who won the Euromillions at the age of 17 and now, four years later at the age of 21, claims the stroke of good luck 'ruined her life'.

Back in 2013, Edinburgh-born Jane scooped £1 million with a Euromillions ticket. At the time she obviously thought it was amazing. But in the years since, she's realised that being a millionaire comes with an abundance of pressure, and is now considering suing Camelot, who runs the Euromillions, for negligence. Jane's argument is that under-18s shouldn't be allowed to enter a prize draw as big as that.

Following her win, Jane moved from the council estate she lived on to a house she bought with the money. In the following years she proceeded to purchase a second property, to holiday in the Maldives, to undergo a boob job and to buy a purple Range Rover and a pet chihuahua, among other things.

Photo credit: Getty
Photo credit: Getty

But now, aside from her assets and a comparably healthy bank balance to other 21-year-olds, all Jane's been left with is a lot of regret.

Speaking to The Sunday People, Jane reportedly said:

"At times it feels like winning the lottery has ruined my life. I thought it would make my life ten times better but it's made it ten times worse. I wish I had no money most days.

"I say to myself, 'My life would be so much easier if I hadn't won'. People look at me and think, 'I wish I had her lifestyle, I wish I had her money'. But they don't realise the extent of my stress. I have material things but apart from that my life is empty. What is my purpose in life? There's no one in the same boat as me, no-one who really understands."

According to METRO, Camelot appointed the teenager an advisor about how to spend the money following her win, but Jane appears to insist this hasn't made any difference to how she feels now, having become a millionaire.

"I've read about other lottery ­winners who've just blown it all and I can totally see how it can be done. I was stuck in front of a financial adviser who was using words like ­investment bonds. I had no clue what they meant," Jane said.

Photo credit: Getty
Photo credit: Getty

"I think 18 should be the minimum age for winning the ­lottery, at the least," she added. "The current age of 16 is far too young."

But Camelot don't seem to agree. Speaking to The Sunday People, a spokesperson for the organisation said: "We have been in touch with Jane from time to time since her win to ­offer ongoing support. It is always up to the winners as to ­whether they want to take up that support.

"We will continue to support Jane in any way we can if that is what ­decides she wants."

It's always hard to put yourself in someone else's position. But I mean, I'm still not convinced it'd be the worst thing in the world to become a millionaire overnight thanks to the lottery.

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