A joy and heartbreak. Nottingham couple's story of winning the lottery

The popular saying that money does not bring happiness is something we have all heard numerous times. Kirk Stevens from Nottingham experienced this firsthand. He and his partner Laura won a well-known lottery worth as much as 6.1 million Canadian dollars. This amount was to be paid in monthly installments of 16,500 CAD over 30 years.

Unfortunately, winning the lottery did not only positively affect their relationship. According to media reports, in 2018, Laura Hoyle, who had previously lost her job, moved in with Kirk. Stevens allowed her to live with him without paying rent, wanting to support his beloved in a difficult situation.

Thanks to financial stability, Laura regularly bought lottery tickets, believing their situation would improve someday. Eventually, her dream came true—despite initial failures, one of the tickets turned out to be a winner. It was the "Set for Life" lottery, where the prize guarantees regular payments over a longer period—in their case, over 30 years.

In 2021, a special video featuring the couple was posted on The National Lottery's YouTube channel. In it, they boasted about their life success. There was plenty of joy, champagne, and joint photos with a giant cheque. At that time, for 39-year-old Kirk, life seemed perfect. They planned to start their own company and travel to Disneyland with their beloved.

Unfortunately, their happiness didn't last long. Kirk's world crumbled when one day Laura decided to leave him. She took her belongings and the main prize and moved into the house they were building together. Today, Laura leads a peaceful life, but Kirk is no longer a part of it.

She pulled the plug and took everything. She even wants our two dogs - Kirk lamented in an interview with "The Sun."

Unfortunately for Kirk, his ex-partner no longer felt obligated to share her winnings with him. Although their names were on the cheque, Laura bought the ticket, so the money belonged to her. Kirk lamented that they did not sign any formal agreement after winning, which would have guaranteed him a portion of the money.

It was already too late when he realized that life can be unpredictable. In an interview with the media, he admitted that he had no rights to the winnings and could not do anything about it. The big win ultimately resulted in the definitive end of their relationship.