My parents won the lottery when I was a child. Here's how it impacted my life...

Tell me about yourself

I’m a 29 year old living and working in London.

What were your lives like before they won?

I wouldn’t say we were really poor but we definitely weren’t well off- the lottery win upgraded our lives big time.

What's your memory of them winning?

They won around £2.5 million- it was at such a pivotal point in my life as I was just about to start secondary school. I always describe it as it felt like I was being plucked out of one life by a crane and dropped into another. Also, weirdly I remember we had no flooring in our house due to a leak so that was one of the first things my parents sorted.

How did your parents manage their new found wealth?

I think my parents did really well all things considered- they financially helped friends & family, took us on a once in a life time holiday, sent us to private school & bought a really nice family home (which they still live in to this day). I would say it both positively & negatively impacted my childhood. Obviously the financial side changed my life but there were social consequences in that I felt like an outsider & I’ve basically kept a secret for my entire life so I got really good at lying (My parents decided that apart from a few close friends & family we weren’t to tell anyone). I’ve had to have therapy about this.

What are your lives like today?

As I said, we still live in the same house and have been really lucky to have some really nice holidays too. But my parents have always kept working in the same jobs they had before the win and I would say we’re not particularly flashy with money (we’ve never had a brand new car, for example). It’s impossible to say how different my life would be if we hadn’t won but there’s no doubt it would be totally different. Also, just wanted to add about the negative impacts- probably the biggest shock for us was how many friends & family we lost as a result as they felt we were undeserving of the win/ didn’t help them enough (who still don’t talk to us now).

Was this the national lottery, and were they regular players?

Yes, it was my dad who played the lottery- every week! I don’t remember the exact conversation, but I remember coming home from school and seeing lots of national lottery memorabilia and a brochure to Disneyland Paris- which was somewhere I had always wanted to go but was never a possibility before. I was about 10/11 years old.

Do you know what your parents did with the money they didn't spend?

Yes, I think some investing but then also savings too. They have never stopped working either which has helped.

Is there anything else you'd want people to know?

It’s weird because it feels like a taboo subject, but it is something that does happen! There’s no doubt it changed my life for the absolute better but there has been some pretty traumatic loss that has come as a result of it too. I think it’s just sort of like what happens with any big life change- you lose the people (friends and family) you thought would always be there for you and the people who support you are the ones you didn’t think would.