Keith Gough won €10.3m on the National Lottery in 2005, but his life spiralled out of control following his big win and he died just five years later
Gemma Strong Lifestyle Writer
16:54, 08 Oct 2025Updated 16:54, 08 Oct 2025
Baker Keith Gough and his wife Louise. (Image: PA)
A massive lottery windfall can utterly change people’s lives – but it’s not always for the good. The heartbreaking story of Keith Gough stands as a harsh warning that striking it lucky can come with serious dangers.
Keith landed €10.3m (£9m) on the National Lottery in 2005 – and before that moment he led a perfectly normal existence. A devoted father and spouse to Louise for 25 years, Keith worked as a baker and resided in a humble €185,000 (£160,000) semi-detached property in Bridgnorth when fortune smiled upon him.
The pair purchased their life-changing ticket from a local newsagent in Broseley, with shop proprietor Barbara Homer later remarking it was a “great boost for the area”. “It’s something you can only dream of and you never think it will happen locally.”
Keith wasted little time before the spending spree began – he splurged on an executive box at Aston Villa’s ground costing €400,000 (£350,000), purchased racehorses, and treated himself to a lavish BMW, amongst other expensive acquisitions.
Keith and wife Louise. (Image: PA)
Keith said winning the Lottery ruined his life. (Image: ExpressStar)
He abandoned his employment, but lacking a daily structure, he became “bored”, which led to excessive drinking. He also split from Louise, reports the Mirror.
Speaking in 2009, 12 months before his death at merely 58, Keith admitted: “Without routine in my life I started to spend, spend, spend – in the end I was just bored.
“Before the win all I would drink was some wine with a meal. I used to be popular but I’ve driven away all my friends. I don’t trust anyone any more.”
He added: “My life was brilliant. But the lottery has ruined everything. What’s the point of having money when it sends you to bed crying.”
After his marriage collapsed, Keith moved to a €1.15m (£1m) rented house in Cheshire, hiring both a driver and gardener. However, his alcohol dependency deteriorated further, ultimately leading to his admission to a rehab centre – where matters became even more dire.
Keith became the target of a €800,000 (£700,000) scam orchestrated by someone he met at Birmingham’s Priory clinic. Fraudster James Prince duped him into investing money in bogus business schemes, later receiving a jail term of three years and four months for the con which occurred between 2006 and 2008.
Merely five years after his lottery win, Keith, who had blown much of his fortune on gambling, sadly died in 2010 at Telford’s Princess Royal Hospital following a prolonged illness.
Prior to his premature death, he would warn people going into newsagents “not to buy a lottery ticket” as it had “ruined his life”. He was portrayed as someone who “drank himself to death” in accounts that confirmed a heart attack was triggered by alcohol and stress.
Les Winwood, a mate and local councillor, said following his death: “He knew he’d made mistakes with the money but was never bitter and was a great man to know. He had a lot of friends.”
John Homer, husband of newsagent owner Barbara, described Keith as a “lovely man”.
Nevertheless, he continued: “He was larger than life, a smashing bloke who will be sorely missed. It may sound strange, but winning the money was probably the worst thing that could have happened to him. It is very sad.”
Many believed that Keith was broke when he died, but a will subsequently disclosed that he had left behind nearly €920,000 (£800,000).
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