Dad won £9m on lottery but died five years later after jackpot 'ruined life'
It has been 20 years since Keith Gough, alongside his wife Louise, won a staggering £9m on the lottery, but he later said it "ruined" his life before dying five years later
A builder who became a scratchcard millionaire recently revealed how “three months of partying” left him fighting for his life. But he is not the first Brit to succumb to the pitfalls of a life-changing lottery win.
Tragic Keith Gough, from Shropshire, lived a normal existence before landing £9million on the National Lottery in 2005.
Sadly, he is no longer alive to celebrate the 20th year anniversary of his windfall. Before his death, he used to advise people going into newsagents “not to buy a lottery ticket” because it “ruined his life”.
The father, who had been married to wife Louise for 25 years, was working as a baker when he became super rich.
Keith and Louise, who lived in a modest £160,000 semi in Bridgnorth, bought the winning ticket from a newsagent in Broseley and owner Barabara Homer said it was a “great boost for the area”. She added: “It’s something you can only dream of and you never think it will happen locally.”
Deciding to go hard or go home, Keith bought an executive box at Aston Villa's stadium worth £350,000, racehorses and a plush BMW, to name just a few extravagant purchases.
No longer needing to earn money, he quit his job at a local bakery, and eventually had a separation from his wife. However, without a daily purpose, he found himself “bored”, which led to heavy drinking.
Speaking in 2009, one year before his death aged just 58, he said: “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 split, he moved into a £1million rented home in Cheshire, where he hired a chauffeur and a gardener on combined salaries of £40,000.
When the former couple separated in 2007, Louise gave Keith a further £1.5million. However, boozing eventually led to him checking into a rehabilitation clinic, where more trouble would find him.
That’s because Keith, who blew his fortune on gambling, was scammed out of £700,000 by a man he met in Birmingham’s Priory clinic.
The scam artist was convicted fraudster James Prince who duped him into investing in bogus business schemes. Prince was jailed for three years and four months after the con which happened between 2006 and 2008.
During proceedings at Chester Crown Court, it was claimed that Keith was an “easy and vulnerable" victim for “parasite” Prince who pretended to be wealthy but was secretly bankrupt with debts of up to £144,000.
But just five years after his lotto win, Keith, who by then was a broken man who had turned to booze, sadly died in 2010 at Telford’s Princess Royal Hospital, after a long period of illness.
He was described as someone who “drank himself to death” in reports that stated a heart attack was brought on by booze and stress.
And Les Winwood, a friend and local councillor, said after his passing: “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.”
Meanwhile, husband of newsagent owner Barbara Homer, John, said Keith was a “lovely man”.
However, he added: “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.”
It was assumed that Keith was penniless at the time of his death, but a will later revealed that he left behind almost £800,000.