Four years ago we won £9m..but the money destroyed us

Husband tells how hitting the jackpot left him divorced, alcoholic & heartbroken

COULD BE RUE: Scruffy Keith's lost everything

LOVELY BUBBLY: Keith & Louise toast win

By Dominic Herbert, 28/06/2009

A GOOD job, close friends and loving wife . . . Keith Gough felt he was the richest man in the world - then he RUINED it all by winning £9 million on the Lottery.

The life-changing win four years ago became a recipe for disaster when baker Keith ended up blowing nearly ALL his dough.

Like most of us would, he thought scooping the incredible jackpot meant happiness for him and his family for the rest of their lives.

Instead Keith, 58, told last night how the fortune lost him his wife of 25 years and his friends - leaving him with only the comfort of the booze bottle to turn to.

Crying

In an exclusive interview, alcoholic Keith revealed that he now spends his time alone, and rues the day he ever bought the winning ticket.

He said: "My life WAS brilliant. But the Lottery has ruined everything. What's the point of having money when it sends you to bed crying?"

"Now when I see someone going in to a newsagent I advise them NOT to buy a lottery ticket."

Down-on-his-luck Keith also revealed how the windfall made him a TARGET for conmen, one of whom fleeced him out of £700,000.

On top of that, he splashed out on posh homes, flash motors, racehorses . . . and a CALL GIRL.

Unshaven Keith, who sleeps in the spare room of his nephew's small semi, now spends most of his time indoors, only venturing outside for long, lonely walks in the Shropshire countryside. He admits it's a far cry from the simple life he once shared with devoted wife Louise, also 58.

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Remembering how the pair were looking forward to retirement, Keith sighed: "If I could crawl back on broken glass to where I was, I would. The Lottery has ruined our lives.

"My life was brilliant and I was very much in love with Louise."

Keith earned his living in a bakery and Louise worked in a solicitors' office. They enjoyed a comfortable existence in a £160,000 semi in Bridgnorth, Shropshire.

"And I had plenty of time for my passion, fly fishing," he added.

Then in June 2005 the couple got all six numbers on a National Lottery lucky dip ticket. It wasn't long before the pair, who have a 14-year-old son, started spending - and their first big buy was a £500,000 house down the road.

Keith tried to maintain a normal life by keeping his job at the bakery but jealousy among his colleagues forced him to quit.

He recalled: "Without routine in my life I started to spend, spend, spend . . . and because I had the spare cash in my pocket."

After shelling out hundreds of thousands of pounds on RACEHORSES, he bought a BMW for £60,000. He bought a sprawling £1MILLION HOUSE in Cheshire, hired a GARDENER (£15,000) and CHAUFFEUR (£25,000).

He also spent £35,000 on an EXECUTIVE BOX at his beloved footie team Aston Villa.

His flash behaviour lost him friends but worst of all he started drifting from his wife, mainly because he had sceretly begun drinking alone.

The boozing reached dangerous levels. He would spend £45 a day - £315 a week - on bottles of gin, whisky and brandy. He said: "I was drinking every day and it was taking its toll on me and my marriage."

Nearly two years after their win, the couple split. Keith's boozing and spending spiralled even more out of control and he reached his lowest ebb.

He says: "In the end I was just bored. Before the win all I would drink was some wine with a meal - but now I was making myself ill. I ended up in the Priory in Birmingham."

By the time his divorce from Louise was finalised, Keith had wasted a large chunk of his fortune but walked away with £1.5 million. Louise still had several millions.

Instead of turning his life around, he plunged deeper into the mire.

While in rehab, he was visited by trickster James Prince, a bankrupt who deliberately targeted him for his money.

Vulnerable Keith, who was by now gambling heavily as well, was first of all persuaded by Prince to check himself out of the clinic and then to write big cheques for business ventures.

Prince - who also introduced Keith to a call girl he squandered eben more of his winnings on - conned a total of £700,000 from Keith. The trickster was later caught and sentenced to three years in jail for fraud.

From spending thousands of pounds a day, Keith's biggest expense now is the weekly grocery shop. But he eats alone after losing all his friends.

Keith explains: "I used to be popular but I've driven away all my friends. I don't trust anyone anymore.

"Money doesn't matter to me. I thought the lotto win was going to be the answer to my dreams. Now those dreams have turned to dust."

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Winners who bought misery

SCOOPING the National Lottery jackpot has led to misery, bust-ups and broken dreams for a host of winners since it began in 1994.

MICHAEL O'LEARY, of Newton- le-Willows, Merseyside, won £440,000. But he was jailed for four years for manslaughter in 2001 after strangling his wife.

DAVID DYAS, from Newbridge, Wales, was caged for 15 years for raping two schoolgirls - aged between eight and 12 - and ordered to pay his victims £100,000 compensation. He had scooped the jackpot 1998.

NIGEL GARDNER-HALE, who won £3.4million, was locked up for a year at Cardiff Crown Court after a police raided a drug-fuelled do at his lavish home back in 2002.

MIKE ANTONUCCI won £2.8 million but has frittered the millions away on homes, holidays and cars in 14 years.

He split from his wife of 12 weeks following a lavish £20,000 Caribbean wedding. He then stood as a candidate for the BNP but picked up just 235 votes in the local elections. Now penniless, he was convicted of assaulting a man over an unpaid debt of £400 earlier this month.

Your comments

This article has 55 comments

he did not use his loaf annd never kneaded the dough

By Kenneth. Posted August 31 2009 at 11:27 AM.

I had just over 45,000 gbp about 3 years ago when the compny i worked for closed. I moved abroad for health reasons and still love where i live. I now own my own business (paid for in cash), it gives me a living. After taxes etc i brerak even (after costs) that means that even in a recession i have a good business, if i won millions the only things i would do is buy a big boat and bigger house (living on a paradise Island does that to you). Approx cost about 180,000 €. Why can't these people live of the interest they earn? for the first few months buy your dreams (great house/boat etc), then realise it won't last forever so live a great life without showing off. Money would last, nice house (no mortagage) would stay with you and if you want to show off the boat will do it.So great life style without millions wasted.

By Steve. Posted July 20 2009 at 4:49 AM.

Well from what i have read i think most of them are mad, money is evil but we should not let it go to our head, as to the person who ended with off to La with the family she was just as bad, like the good ones I would put the money in the BANK and use the intrest, and live my day as it comes and pay my bills as they come, have a Holiday once a year as i do now in a caravan not LA and just carry on with my life, I am single and I am staying single their is no way i would get married even if i won the lotto YOU ALL NEED TO WAKE UP and have the money In your BANK.

By andy. Posted July 4 2009 at 8:30 PM.

I hate it when irresponsible people win the lottery! I hardly feel sorry for him!

By M. Posted July 4 2009 at 12:54 PM.

You are not "winning" anything , it is basic wealth re-distribution.
Same as the stock market, a mass of suckers throw money at something , then this is re-distributed to the winner.

I've seen my investment in the stock market climb 34% in the last two months.

But where EXACTLY has that money come from?, certainly not from the companies I invested in.

By john. Posted July 4 2009 at 2:25 AM.

Money is not evil. It's not wrong to love money. You need to love money to attract money. But the reason why people mismanage money is they don't have the right financial blueprint in their mind, to earn/handle a certain sum of money. Thus, if a person's blueprint is meant for 100K, then it won't be long he squanders his surplus.

Luckily, this blueprint can be re-tuned, irrespective of age/sex/race.

By Simon. Posted June 30 2009 at 8:46 PM.

They say ..money goes to people with money; well that's because people without money don't have a clue how to deal with life when they get money...so they lose it all..always!!!

By Ian. Posted June 30 2009 at 2:40 PM.

The lotto draw here in Sydney is $90K tonight, if I am lucky enought to win I will be using the winnings to buy my family a modest home then life saving equipment for all the Childrens Hospitals in Australia and also give most of it to charities for homeless people etc. This would bring happiness to thousands of people and most likely save lives. If Keith Gough had of gone down this road he would still have his family together and his life intact. Sharing good fortune in a positive way brings happiness not greed.

By Cher of Sydney. Posted June 30 2009 at 4:19 AM.

the first thing one should do is give money to the church to show thanks to God then some to a good charity..after that get on your knees and pray God to give you humility mostly wisdom coz thats hellot of moonies its easy for it to go into your head,i dont blame looks like he forgot to pray..without God he was standing not on a rock but on sinking sand,and he,s still sinking till he calls on God for guidance.lets all pray for him.may God have mercy on him.be blessed you that read this.

By nicky cruz. Posted June 29 2009 at 9:42 PM.

my mam won the lottery not a big amount luke 9 million, nearly 200,000 and trust me money does not make you happy, you see who your true friends are, my mother did`t get one chritmas card of any of the friends she gave nearly 50,000 of her winnings too the amount of people who came outa the woodworks was amazing and the greed you wouldt have believed it and i said to my mum its not like you have won millions you cant give everyone something. i was debt free and didt have to work, quit collage and went travelling but i`d go to bed crying wishing our family never won at all, it wasint a lot of money but it nearly destroyed us, my parents nearly split up and i saw it changed a few people around me who expected money from us wenever they wanted. Thank god we never won more, and dont write saying were ungratfull, it did pay of a lot of debts but at the end of the day its the people around you who ruin the experiance for you it brings out the worst in people

By cherie. Posted June 29 2009 at 6:06 AM.

This man and those like him are wasters at heart and that will not change with a win. It seems to me that there is a huge lack of common sense and education with these people, they most certainly did not deserve to win anything.

By Retrograde. Posted June 29 2009 at 4:36 AM.

9 million sounds like a lot, but most ordinary, working people, probably spend close to that amount during their life time. You have to see it as an addition to what you already have. You certainly shouldn't tell anyone, besides your family / very close friends, and you certainly shouldn't buy massive new houses or employ a driver.

If I had 9m I would get advice about the best account to put it in, then use 1m or so to do whatever, but leave the rest. If you're smart, a one million pound boost should be more than enough to last the rest of your life.

By Jay. Posted June 29 2009 at 2:32 AM.

It must be hard to control yourself when you win that kind of money ,but that is what you have to do.

By Tony. Posted June 28 2009 at 8:50 PM.

If you're bad with money, you're bad with money - doesn't matter how much you have of it.

By lee. Posted June 28 2009 at 4:26 PM.

Some people who win the lottery just lack the intelligence and ability to understand what it means. Its not just about the money its about the person who has it, unlike some rags to riches millionaire like Alan Sugar these people do not have a concept of value because essentially they have done nothing for the money. Really if you want to win it understand essentially if you come from a working class background your life will change forever and you will not be able to continue in that "normal" life.

By Alex. Posted June 28 2009 at 4:03 PM.

Why is it when people win lottery they have to have great big houses and mansions it makes me so mad i have a bill of 683 which i cannot afford to pay a husband who is of ill health so a lottery win would be good for us and i would not waste the money on a great big mansion or fast fancy cars.
I just want enough to survive without worrying

By Struggling. Posted June 28 2009 at 3:34 PM.

Bonkers, Crackers & Very Silly.

By Peter. Posted June 28 2009 at 3:40 PM.

You are so right Hussein!!!
NEWSFLASH: Every lottery winner who wins millions should have the money placed in a trust then given a yearly allowance of 3% of the winnings so he be getting £270,000 a year or just the interest earned of the money each year that way he will never blow all the money away on stupid things like above the best investment for a lottery winner is a very good accountant and lessons he how to say NO in a nice way to anyone who ask for money.

By SarahinFrance. Posted June 28 2009 at 2:31 PM.

No sympathy at all for the 9 million pound lottery winner Keith Gough. I would love to win the lottery but instead of blowing it on gambling and dodgy scams and booze and drugs, just use it wisely and invest wisely what's hard about that. Apart from close family never tell anybody that you have come into money and never publicise it. Just be sensible, it's not rocket science is it.

By Mark Perry. Posted June 28 2009 at 1:55 PM.

I play the lotto every week.After reading this,I hope I will be better prepared as to howto use my winnings!Lesson well lent

By VEE. Posted June 28 2009 at 1:42 PM.

Its people with no imagination or those who think a sum say £9m is going to last forever no matter what you buy who fail miserably.

By Mike Brailsford. Posted June 28 2009 at 1:29 PM.

WOW!!! Now why that couldn't be me winning that money. I would have made a good investment with it. If he had any true friends he would still have his job and his family. Well this ones on him!!!
POOR GUY!!!

By bermygal. Posted June 28 2009 at 1:18 PM.

I know exactly what I would do should I ever win ..Look after family buy a few things , stick rest in bank or banks ,,live off interest ..and tell all those " new friends " where to get off..and no conmen would fool me cos they got nothing I want..wouldnt invest a penny no need too..

By Tommy Gunn. Posted June 28 2009 at 1:13 PM.

most people dream of winning the lottery, but who is actually prepared to manage such windfalls when it happens

By george williams. Posted June 28 2009 at 12:51 PM.

Money can bring happiness, just as long as its invested wisely, a fool and his money is soon parted.
Pity some other deserving people didn't have their chances with the fortune, many lives can be changed if invested wisely and looked after family

By Graham. Posted June 28 2009 at 12:13 PM.

This man says he doesn't trust other people anymore. The person he shouldn't be trusting is himself. Simple.

By Leanne. Posted June 28 2009 at 12:18 PM.

Winning the lottery did not ruin his life, it was his stupidity that ruined it. I am sure the lottery would have given him advice on how to invest the money, but no he buys racehorses, what an idiot!

By Mike. Posted June 28 2009 at 11:01 AM.

let's have a bit of sympathy ,he just a normal guy,in a situation ,that so many of us,would fail to cope with.as always the dream of winning,is easier than coping with the reality,myself, i would have the bank lock up the cash for a year,until thing settled down,and have them send me a wage packet,with sat/sun overtime in it ofcourse,and i'd be well happy for a spell,you can only sleep in one bed and wear one pair of shoes

By alan simpson. Posted June 28 2009 at 10:47 AM.

Well it annoys me when people go on saying they wish they could win the lottery thinking it`ll make them happier and solve all their problems. Me - i`d rather live in a cardboard box as long as i`ve got the people around me that i love. Thats the most important thing, not money. Why dont people understand this?

By Elizabeth Dowding. Posted June 28 2009 at 10:40 AM.

Well Well Well, We all think that we would have used the winners better than this man, the truth is nobody knows how they would act if they won the lotto. Its the love of money that is the root of evil not the money its self. And guess what? we all love money.

By murr. Posted June 28 2009 at 10:14 AM.

If I won the lottery I would definitely tick the no publicity box which should solve the problem of jealous friends, scroungers etc.

This man wasted his money whilst his ex wife is coping well with the millions she has.

By Paula. Posted June 28 2009 at 9:53 AM.

it wasnt the lotto ticket / winning the 9 million that ruined his life, it was the way he spent it and the life he led, drinking everyday will only ever lead to trouble rich or not !! I could spend that money wisely, please give me the chance ha !

By kelly - bristol. Posted June 28 2009 at 9:58 AM.

They say money is the root of all evil, I later found out that "the love of money is the root of all evil"

By Ola Ray. Posted June 28 2009 at 9:25 AM.

Money definately buys freedom & choice, use it wisely.. ..but a fool & his money is soon parted..

By Me one... Posted June 28 2009 at 8:49 AM.

yes it will ruining your life if you spend it like that you just use your head why did he hire somebody to drive him around was he to drunk you dont spend money on race houses or your own box no wonder it as sent him like he is

By graham gomersall freeman. Posted June 28 2009 at 8:35 AM.

only wish thti had the chance to win a large sum
i know what i would do with it

By alan heath. Posted June 28 2009 at 8:27 AM.

He screwed up and knows it, give him a break.!

By Biscaya.. Posted June 28 2009 at 8:14 AM.

This just reflects life in general, some winners will be happy, others okay and for some life will turn to @*?! The same as it is across the rest of the population.
The lottery win certainly didn't make those others rape and kill.

By Rob. Posted June 28 2009 at 8:03 AM.

Only one person to blame and that is himself.

By Geoff. Posted June 28 2009 at 7:23 AM.

Andrew he did not own a bakery he just worked there.

By mark. Posted June 28 2009 at 6:49 AM.

Hussian what a stupid post.
If you win millions you get advisors etc etc , it's upto the person or persons to us it wisely.
If i won the finnish lottery of millions of € i know what i would do .

By Mark . Posted June 28 2009 at 6:48 AM.

What a fool.....

We would be happy with £70k to pay the mortgage off.....

Flash cars, more then one house, horses etc are not the norm for most people.....

By sw. Posted June 28 2009 at 6:29 AM.

idiots they have no idea.very sad.some just shouldnt be aloud to have that amount.too much.
all that money and no sense.greed.if its too much for you give it to me.il be very happy thanks

By hayden. Posted June 28 2009 at 6:12 AM.

I'm fortunate to be a lotto winner and can honstly say it's made me incredibly happy.This guy is an idiot who deserves what he got. If somebody was fool enough to gift him another few million I bet he'd accept it without hesitation.I've no sympathy.
Anyhow got to go as I'm busy getting ready to leave for a quick trip to LA with my happy family.

By Mark. Posted June 28 2009 at 5:06 AM.

It takes a special kind of stupidity to blow millions. This man was truly gifted. No sympathy from me.

By Carol. Posted June 28 2009 at 5:12 AM.

NEWSFLASH: Every lottery winner who wins millions should have the money placed in a trust then given a yearly allowance of 3% of the winnings so he be getting £270,000 a year or just the interest earned of the money each year that way he will never blow all the money away on stupid things like above the best investment for a lottery winner is a very good accountant and lessons he how to say NO in a nice way to anyone who ask for money.

By hussain. Posted June 28 2009 at 3:10 AM.

So this man takes no responsiblity for his actions but blames the money!!

By Marion Jenkins. Posted June 28 2009 at 3:16 AM.

guess we will be supporting him then when he signs on

By laura dawson. Posted June 28 2009 at 3:25 AM.

It's time to outlaw the lottery. Guns and knives have already been successfully restricted (although forks are still a big problem).
When someone wins the lotto an MP advisor should take control of what part to invest and what part to spend.

By Barry Bureau. Posted June 28 2009 at 2:53 AM.

What a prat, lol. Made for life and he's thrown it down the drain. Some people are beyond dumb.

By James. Posted June 28 2009 at 2:15 AM.

Thus proving that a moron and his money are
soon parted. Conned out of £700k, you
saddo.

By SickOfItAll. Posted June 28 2009 at 2:03 AM.

I wish I had £9 million to destroy my life with

By Bah Humbug. Posted June 28 2009 at 12:41 AM.

It's not the lottery that ruined your life. YOU ruined your life idiot by letting the money get to you. All you had to do was put in high interest fund, and you'd live off the interest, or simply buy properties and live off the rent. But your ex-wife is evil if she won't help you out with a little something to help you get back on your feet, after all, you bought the ticket

By Squa. Posted June 28 2009 at 12:54 AM.

Boo hoo.

By SB. Posted June 28 2009 at 12:26 AM.

Clearly the wrong sort of people are winning the lottery here! Why can't the rest of us who are quite capable of managing the money and enjoy it ever win it.
The guy who had the bakery should have given all his staff a pay rise and promoted someone to take over.Perhaps opened more bakeries.
I think all ungrateful bar stewards should be banned from ever playing the lottery.

By Andrew Wiltshire. Posted June 27 2009 at 11:57 PM.

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