In March 2021, Kirk Stevens was on top of the world.
He and his partner, Laura Hoyle, had won the National Lottery's 'Set For Life' draw, meaning £10,000 a month would be coming their way for the next 30 years.
He popped the champagne, posed with the massive cheque, and dreamt of their future together.
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But earlier this summer, Laura left him - taking the remainder of the £3.6 million jackpot with her.
"Laura had told me we’d live the life of Riley if we won," the 39-year-old told The Sun. "Now she's gone.
"She pulled the plug and took everything. She even wants our two dogs."
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Kirk, from Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, said that Laura moved into his home after they met through a friend in 2018.
"She asked me how much rent I wanted, but as far as I was concerned she was my girlfriend," he recalled.
"I didn’t expect her to pay rent, I didn't ask her for a penny.
"Instead, she told me she'd buy us Lottery tickets. She spent around £25 a week and told me that if we won, we would both live it up.
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"Our arrangement was never any more formal but I didn't think I needed anything more. We were a couple, living together in my home. Besides, I never expected to win."
But when the big win did come, well, it looked like they were set for life.
Engineer Kirk said: "Both our names were on the cheque we posed with for pictures and every press release from [National Lottery operator] Camelot talked about both of us winning the prize together.
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"Laura immediately quit her job and we bought a Porsche Cayenne. It was a really exciting time.
"I suppose you could say we were semi-sharing the money then. Laura was paying me £1,000 a month from the winnings and she encouraged me to pursue my master’s degree in mechanical engineering. I would never have done it but Laura said she would pay off my student loan.
"We had plans for the future. We were going to buy properties together and build an empire."
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Kirk had his sights set on marriage and even bought an engagement ring, but their relationship began hitting rough patches and he postponed his proposal.
And after a friend's wedding in June, she called time on their relationship before moving into a new build home they had put a £500,000 deposit on after the win. Kirk claims that she also stopped making the £1,000 monthly payments too.
Laura has declined to comment on Kirk's version of events and lottery operator Camelot confirmed to LADbible that - despite the names on the fake cheque used for publicity - all Lotto wins are paid to an individual, even in a syndicate, and the winning account used was Laura's.
Kirk said: "I just want 10 percent. If she continues to pay me £1k a month, I'll happily walk away. She won't even notice it."
Topics: UK News, National Lottery