UK's youngest ever lottery winner had tragic story following £1.8 million win

The UK's youngest ever lottery winner is proof that money can't fix everything.

Callie Rogers was just 16 when she won a whopping £1.875 million jackpot back in 2003.

At the time, she was working as a shop assistant in her local Co-op on £3.60 an hour.

But the now mum-of-four-from Cumbria started off by doing what many of us dream of - and that is taking care of your family.

After she spent half a million on homes for herself and loved ones, an additional £550k went on clothes, tattoos and travelling.

However, her purchases became more impulsive as she spent approximately £18,000 on plastic surgery, before splurging £250,000 on a cocaine habit.

ITV

“I’d never tried them until I was 21 and even then it was only at weekends if there was a party and someone had some. But that period only lasted for about a year,” she previously told The Sun.

Unfortunately for Callie, many came searching for a handout.

Callie said: "I would give money to distant relatives and friends of friends. I loaned £20,000 here, £13,000 there. I would never get it back.

"People asked for money for new cars and I would help out. I was a soft touch.

"Now I realise what they were like. I was exploited because of my age. I had a lot of fake relationships."

But her life took a tragic turn when she tried to take her own life at the age of 21.

She has since issued a warning to others who play the lottery.

Although the minimum age to take part in the National Lottery was raised to 18 in 2021, she still hopes her kids never take part.

Facebook/Callie Rogers

Speaking to The Mirror, she said: "Overnight I went from carefree child to adult. All these years on, it still gets dragged up.

"Even when I go for job interviews, I am thinking about it. I suffer from such bad anxiety when I am going to meet new people.

"It preys on my mind, what a new partner's family will think of me, or even new friends. I still get abuse just because of who I am."

Thankfully, the mum has managed to change her life around and has announced that she is heading back to school to study to be a nurse at the University of Central Lancashire.

She said: "Taking time out and working on yourself to become a better person pays off. So proud of myself and the future I'm making for my little family."

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123