THIS is the inside story of the EuroMillions winner who scooped £45 million but suffered cancer and divorce.
Les Scadding, 73, raked in the whopping prize in 2009 after buying the winning ticket at random, having forgotten his usual lucky numbers at a Tesco checkout.
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The former lorry driver was unemployed and £68 overdrawn on his account when the jackpot rolled in.
Les, from Gwent, Wales, was left gobsmacked when he discovered his big win, which he shared with his wife Samantha.
At the time, he told The Guardian: “When I asked the people behind the counter to check the numbers, the machine just printed out a pink slip, telling me to contact Camelot.
“I thought I might have won around £50,000, and I rushed home to tell Samantha.
“When we realised I had all seven, we nearly dropped the laptop.”
The couple put the money to good use, with Les going on to become chairman of Newport County AFC between 2012 and 2015.
They also snapped up a £1.5 million Welsh mansion, plus a £2 million villa in Barbados.
However, things didn’t stay rosy for long, with the pair’s marriage breaking down within just four years of the win.
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Neither of them has commented publicly on the split, but the Daily Star reported that one friend said they had different attitudes towards the cash.
They said: “The money changed Sam. She spent a lot of time in plush hotels in London and Barbados.
“Les was never materialistic, but Sam loves diamonds – she drips in them.
“I suppose it’s true, money can’t buy you love.”
Things went from bad to worse for Les, as he revealed told the South Wales Argus that he had also been diagnosed with cancer within five years of his big win.
He said: “Another downside [in those years] is having cancer.
“I was very lucky with the cancer emergency surgery.
“Somebody’s looking over me.”
Les, who shares three children with his first wife Rose-Marie, now lives with his new wife, Dee Rogers.
They divide their time between his homes in the UK and the Caribbean.
Speaking to the National Lottery in 2020, Les said: “The first thing I did was I bought a Range Rover Sport, it was fantastic.
“I had occasions where I didn’t want to be here [in Barbados] and I went home early.
“Something changed when I met Dee and we came here.
“We do so much together. We go on the beach, go to some beautiful restaurants, we play golf.
“It’s just changed my outlook and the way we live. I found myself not only falling in love with her but with Barbados.
“It’s changed my life.”
It comes after it was reported that a sheet metal worker who scooped a £7.5 million prize in 1998 had since lost it all.
Meanwhile, a couple who won £5 million were hit by tragedy as they lost their son.
Barry and Jenny Chuwen set up a charity in the little boy’s memory, which was then the subject of a probe by the watchdog in their native Scotland.
These and more have ended up on the increasingly long list of Lotto winners who have ended up penniless, split up with loved ones and even been jailed.
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