Michael Carroll was a young garbage man when he first hit the jackpot. But he blew the lot and now works seven days a week to survive.
When Michael Carroll hit the jackpot, he was a teenage garbo with a baby on the way.
The 19-year-old garbage collector, originally from Norfolk in the UK, won an incredible £9,736,131 ($A18.4 million) on the National Lottery in November 2002 after spending just £1 ($A1.89) on a ticket.
But within 10 years, he had managed to blow the entire lot on his wild lifestyle – and today, he’s completely “skint”, working seven days a week delivering coal and firewood to people’s homes in Scotland.
In an interview with UK tabloid The Mirror, he revealed he now made just £10 ($A19) an hour – but he insists he has no regrets.
“I’m a skint lottery winner. It’s got me quite a few women so I don’t mind. I’m living in a rented flat,” he told The Mirror.
“I’m happy. I don’t have to look over my shoulder anymore, no one’s going to hit me over the back of the head and rob me.
“I reckon I’m lucky to be alive. If I still had the money I’d probably be six feet under.”
After becoming a teenage multi-millionaire, Mr Carroll immediately gave away a huge chunk of his winnings, including £1 million ($A1,894,650) each to his mother, his aunt and uncle who raised him, his partner Sandra Aitken and Sandra’s mother.
Mr Carroll married Ms Aitken the following year, and the couple share a daughter, although the marriage was short-lived after Mr Carroll’s ex-wife accused him of cheating on her with 𝑠e𝑥 workers.