One of the UK's biggest-ever lottery winners managed to spend £40 million ($50 million) of his winnings by burning through £100,000 ($131,000) a week. While most of us dream of one day winning the lottery, buying a mansion, fast cars, and never having to work again, some people manage to pick out the winning numbers and change their lives overnight. Colin Weir was the lucky ticketholder who scooped a massive £161 million ($200 million) EuroMillions jackpot in 2011 - and managed to spend a quarter of the monumental fortune before his death in 2019. At the time it was the second-biggest-ever jackpot awarded from the EuroMillions, and Weir soon set about spending in style. <img class="wp-image-1263191595 size-full" src="https://img.vt.co/2023/01/DBM51N.jpg" alt="" width="1424" height="2144" />[[imagecaption|| Colin Weir won the life-changing sum in 2011. Credit: WENN Rights Ltd / Alamy]] While the colossal sum is more than many people could spend in a lifetime, Weir managed to blow through a quarter of it in just eight years. Prior to winning the lottery, Weir had worked as a cameraman for Scottish broadcaster STV, while his wife Christine - who he later divorced in 2018 - was a psychiatric nurse. Weir, who was from Largs in North Ayrshire, died in 2019 from sepsis and "acute kidney injury" and his remaining wealth was passed down to his two children. After his death, documents revealed what Weir had spent his money on, including luxury property, expensive cars, and investments into a soccer club, as well as establishing a charitable trust. The Weir Charitable Trust unfortunately was the victim of a scam in 2015, when emails were sent claiming to be from them offering cash, with Scottish police warning people to be wary of suspicious emails. The couple had reportedly been targeted by scammers multiple times since going public with their lottery win in 2011. Some of the windfall had also gone to donations to the Scottish National Party's independence campaign, and Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon even paid tribute to Weir after his death, saying it left her “incredibly sad”. <img class="wp-image-1263191599 size-full" src="https://img.vt.co/2023/01/2AMN3W9-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1735" />[[imagecaption|| Weir had spent a quarter of his fortune by the time he died in 2019. Credit: PA Images / Alamy]] She added at the time: "Colin’s determination and generosity in the cause of Scottish independence cannot be overstated and was hugely appreciated. "The SNP and the independence movement has lost a true friend today and we will miss him dearly." As well as political donations, Weir also made sports investments including buying a 55 percent share of Partick Thistle Football Club shortly before his death, intending to return ownership of it to the local community. He'd also invested in racehorses, including owning three thoroughbreds, including geldings Knighted and Felony, and an Irish mare named If You Say Run, per the <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/euromillions-weir-death-winnings-b2269557.html">Independent</a>. Weir had also spent £3.5 million ($4.3 million) on a home named Frognal House after the couple reportedly bought it with all its fixtures and fittings after just a 10-minute viewing, before spending thousands on renovating it over the years. <img class="wp-image-1263191602 size-full" src="https://img.vt.co/2023/01/DBM51P.jpg" alt="" width="2144" height="1424" />[[imagecaption|| Weir and his wife divorced a year before his death, with his fortune going to his two children. Credit: WENN Rights Ltd / Alamy]] Frognal House was signed over to Weir's wife when the couple divorced in 2018,  when he bought a £1.1 million ($1.4 million) seafront home known as The Mansions, where he lived until his death. Weir was also a fan of luxury cars, owning a small fleet reportedly including a vintage Bentley Arnage, a Jaguar F-Pace SUV and multiple Mercedes cars. At his death, Weir also owned artwork, furniture, and jewelry valued at around £212,000 ($262,000), as well as savings and investment bonds. <h6>Featured image credit: REUTERS / Alamy</h6>

Lottery winner burned through $50 million of prize money by spending $131k a week

Top Stories

News

Louisiana sex offender who assaulted pre-teen girl to be chemically castrated

News

Dentist charged after allegedly poisoning wife's protein shakes to start a new life with lover

News

Meteorologist speaks out after her eyes roll back and she collapses live on air

News

Teacher shot by 6-year-old student breaks her silence in first interview

News

Three men found guilty of 2018 murder of rapper XXXTentacion

News

Buster Murdaugh responds to rumors he was involved in classmate's 2015 killing