‘I cried myself to sleep because of EuroMillions win after it ruined my life’

A punter from Munster scooped a life-changing €1,005,000 in a special EuroMillions draw last week — but as Jane Park knows all too well, winning the lottery doesn’t always bring happiness

A fortunate individual from Munster has claimed a staggering €1,005,000 prize following a special EuroMillions draw that took place last week. The winning Quick Pick ticket was purchased as part of the ‘Ireland Only Raffle’, which awarded an additional €1m to a single National Lottery participant.

The ticket was secured at Centra The Reeks, located at Reeks Gateway in Killarney, and the winner has undoubtedly been in celebratory mood since Friday’s draw took place. Shop proprietor John Bowler commented: “There’s a great buzz around the store today and we’re absolutely delighted to have sold Friday night’s winning EuroMillions ticket.

“We have a mix of local customers and visitors coming through our doors every day, so the winner could be anyone. I’ve had the shop for more than 20 years and, while we’ve sold some fantastic prizes over the years, this is by far the biggest. It’s wonderful news for Killarney and the wider Kerry community, and we’d like to wish the winner every happiness as they enjoy their incredible prize.”

Yet a seven-figure windfall doesn’t automatically ensure contentment, as Jane Park can attest. Below, we revisit her landmark EuroMillions victory.

Jane Park

Jane holds the distinction of being Britain’s youngest-ever EuroMillions winner, having secured £1million (€1.1m) back in 2013 when she was merely 17-years-old. Remarkably, it was the first lottery ticket she had ever purchased.

The Scottish teenager at the time had been working as an admin temp on £8-per-hour while residing in a two-bedroom council flat in Edinburgh with her mother. However, she has been strikingly candid about the darker aspects of her EuroMillions windfall.

She previously told the Sunday People: “I have material things but apart from that my life is empty. What is my purpose in life? I thought it would make [my life] 10 times better but it’s made it 10 times worse. I wish I had no money most days. I say to myself, ‘My life would be so much easier if I hadn’t won.'”

She allegedly contemplated legal action against the Lotto, suggesting that individuals her age shouldn’t be permitted to scoop such enormous sums. She has subsequently refuted these claims about pursuing legal proceedings.

Following her jackpot triumph, she abandoned her employment, embarked on a two-month Magaluf getaway, and treated herself to two homes and a chihuahua. Alongside spending thousands on vehicles, trips abroad and high-end fashion, she has also invested approximately £50,000 (€58,000) in cosmetic procedures.

These encompass a BBL, dental veneers, liposuction, breast augmentation, Botox, lip enhancement and fillers. Yet following a Brazilian bum lift in Turkey, she faced a terrifying ordeal, developing sepsis due to an adverse reaction to the anaesthetic that left her fearing for her life.

Throughout the years, Jane also purchased an £18,000 (€21,000) Range Rover, which she had customised in purple to honour her football club Hibernian, a shade the team regularly features in their away strips. Jane stunned her social media followers in 2019 by launching an OnlyFans account, where she reportedly earned nearly €30,000 selling topless photographs.

In an equally eyebrow-raising move, she also set up a website where she allegedly accepted applications from men hoping to date her.

Now aged 30, and despite a turbulent twenties filled with both highs and lows, she has been candid about her personal struggles. Opening up to Dr Phil about her sudden fame and wealth, she revealed she “wouldn’t wish it on anyone”, adding: “At times it feels like winning the lottery has ruined my life. I thought it would make it 10 times better but it’s made it 10 times worse.”

Jane also addressed the torrent of online abuse she endured following her lottery win in a YouTube appearance, stating: “When the story came out that I was going to sue I literally had the worst amount of abuse online. People were saying like ‘Die’, I had acid attack threats, it was literally hectic. People were hating on me and I was just this young girl who just wanted to be heard.

“I remember feeling like my life was s**t. I just felt like this was not what I thought it was going to be like. I thought it was going to be amazing, like, I was going to be this big massive celebrity. I was going to constantly be on red carpets and stuff. I was literally sitting in a three-bedroom house alone, like crying myself to sleep.”

She went on to say: “You have good days and you have bad days. There’s times where I feel lonely and I feel bored and I feel s**t. But there’s other times where I’m flying to Dubai and I’m doing nice things and I’m very grateful for the life that I live.”