A couple who won the lottery in the 1980s have shared the negative impact it has had on their lives. Things got so bad, they even had to pull their children out of school
Paige Freshwater Social Newsdesk Writer
08:34, 23 Oct 2025
The lottery win made the family’s life ‘hell’ (stock image)(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Winning the lottery is a dream to many, but one couple have shared how a lifetime jackpot turned their lives into a living hell.
Speaking on their behalf, a friend explained how a couple in his neighbourhood won £1,000 a week for life in the early 1980s, but rather than bringing financial freedom, the lottery win brought a lifetime of problems.
He said on Reddit: “They were already the ‘rich’ relatives to both their families. In reality, they were upper middle class. They sold their house and essentially went into hiding for over four years, their relatives were absolutely relentless in trying to track them down to get their share,” reports The Mirror.
He says it got so bad that their children – aged 10 and 14 – had to be pulled out of school and the family eventually changed their surname to reclaim some anonymity.
They added: “I came home from school one day to a carload of their relatives waiting to talk to my brother about his friend’s whereabouts, it was frightening.
“Luckily our neighbours intervened and made them leave. My brother was hiding in the house, he recognised them and had ducked down the alley to the back of our house.
“We barely saw his friend after that, I think they moved to a larger city on the East Coast.”
Commenting on the post, one user said: “It’s crazy that £1k a week would result in this behaviour.
“Even if in the ’80’s it was a lot, it’s still not enough to be considered filthy rich. More like ‘We can retire well off’ money.”
Another user added: “What ‘share’ were these people even looking for or expecting?
“A thousand a week is great and would be a great comfort to most people, but it’s not ‘I’m super rich now’ money.
“If they were already upper middle class, that extra £52k a year wouldn’t budge them out of that category.
“They’d still be upper middle class – which is great and means they likely had a comfortable life, but that’s it. They were just more comfortable.
“Fewer worries about bills, the kids’ college funds would be set, a real nice vacation or car each year, pay off the house early… But sure as hell not ‘lift up the entire extended family’ money.”
A third person added: “It blows my mind how shameless people can get.”
While one more said: “The scratch off is £1K a week. The lottery ticket of the same name is £1K a day. That’s definitely enough to retire.”
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