A man who won £11 million on the lottery has admitted he's now 'suspicious of people's intentions' after forking out for houses for five of his friends who no longer speak to him.
For the record, if any of my friends are reading this and want to buy me a house, I promise I'll stay in touch for the rest of our lives.
Advert
Mark Gardiner, from Hastings, made headlines back in 1995 when he and a friend won a whopping £22,590,829 on the lottery.
They split the winnings, and over the years Gardiner has treated himself to some fancy purchases, including property in Barbados, a Harley-Davidson, two Mercedes and even a couple of football clubs.
His spending wasn't all for himself, though, and Gardiner also spent £500,000 on five houses for friends.
Sounds like a dream come true, right? Well, unfortunately that's not the reality.
Advert
Things started to turn sour for Gardiner not long after his win, so much so that in 2005 he admitted: "There are days when I curse my win and wish I'd never got involved."
If that's not proof that money can't buy happiness, I don't know what is.
Gardiner began to lose contact with those around him after the win, including some of his closest family members.
Advert
Even Paul Maddison, who he split his winnings with, is now out of the picture.
Gardiner now only has a small group of friends he trusts, The Sun reports, as he explained: "I spent £500,000 buying five friends houses when I won. Do you think they are still my friends? Like hell.
"Not one speaks to me. Having so much money has made me suspicious of people's intentions. It's horrible, but when someone's being nice then it does cross my mind what they are up to.”
The win also prompted an influx of letters from people asking for money.
Advert
"Sometimes I think it would have been better to have won a much smaller amount. I love going somewhere where no one knows me and I can be a normal person," he said.
To help maintain a sense of normality in his life, Gardiner still goes to work every day at his firm, Croft Glass.
"What can be better than someone saying, 'Thanks. You've done a lovely job on my windows'?" he asked.
Advert
“Now, if my money could buy comments like that I'd be a poor man because I'd buy them all the time."
In spite of his issues since the win, Gardiner has admitted that he does still play the lottery, saying: "You need money for a rainy day."
Topics: National Lottery, Money
Emily Brown