A LOTTERY winner who married four times after his win took years to realise a massive mistake he made.
Mark Gardiner split a whopping £22,590,829 payday with glazing firm business partner Paul Maddison in 1995.
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But in a bid to form a protective “ring of steel”, he bought four pals a £100,000 house EACH – before they deserted him.
Now 61 and living in Battle, East Sussex, he told Mail+: “It was complicated. They got called scroungers and were picked on by their friends.
“You can’t win in some ways. If you keep your money close, you’re tight, if you buy a round in the pub, you’re a flash Harry.”
The fallout was not the only issue to fall at Mark’s door.
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He recalled getting “sacks” of mail from people begging for cash.
Among them were ex-girlfriends, pals, and even women claiming he’d given them a love child.
Aged just 32 at the time, Mark was in the midst of a divorce from third wife Kim – mum to a now 31-year-old daughter.
He was also ensconced with wife number four Brenda, with whom he had another daughter, now 28.
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Almost thirty years on, Mark says he is grateful he decided to keep working.
It also led to a “coincidence” encounter with his first wife Bridget – his childhood sweetheart – whom he re-met 20 years after their divorce while doing her windows.
Explaining their second innings – which has lasted ten years this time – he said: “‘You can’t buy a Bridget.
“We married too early, we both agreed that, but we knew we were for each other, if that makes sense.
“And in a way I should apologise to the other women because they were never for me, and in some ways I spent all those other years finding my way back to her.”
And while Mark hasn’t blown the lot on fast cars and women, he does have some pearls of wisdom.
He explained: “The advert says ‘It Could Be You’ — but say it goes, ‘This Could Be You: falling out with your sister; upset with your mum; sued by your ex-fiancee’.
“Are you going to run out and buy that ticket?”
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