Feel good story, gone bad

Camelot, the current operator of the UK National Lottery, has cleared up its rules after a jackpot winner left her partner with nothing. Kirk Stevens and Laura Hoyle won the ‘Set For Life’ draw back in March 2021, meaning they would receive ￡10,000 ($11,692) every month for a 30-year period.

taking with her the rest of the ￡3.6m ($4.2m)

They both celebrated the win, posed for photos with an oversized check, and spoke with the mainstream media about plans to spend their winnings. However, Laura left her partner this summer, taking with her the rest of the ￡3.6m ($4.2m) jackpot win.

Kirk Stevens spoke to The Sun about his partner leaving. He said: “She pulled the plug and took everything. She even wants our two dogs.” Laura has so far refused to comment on the story.

Out of luck

While Kirk may have believed he was set for life with the big win, a spokesperson for Camelot explained to LADbible that every jackpot is paid to one individual. Even if there are two names on a winner’s check such as in this case, it doesn’t mean much. “It is up to the ticket-holder to decide what names they would like on the cheque – it does not relate to the process,” Camelot explained.

Camelot confirmed that it follows a thorough process to validate that the rightful ticket owner is claiming the prize. Once it has assured this, the lottery operator pays out the money and provides access to free independent legal and financial advice.

An apparent agreement

Speaking with The Sun, Nottinghamshire native Kirk Stevens suggested that he had an agreement with Laura regarding the lottery tickets.

He claimed Laura was living in his home for free prior to securing the jackpot. He didn’t ask for any rent money. Instead, Kirk said Laura purchased lottery tickets every week in lieu of rent. She would spend about ￡25 ($29.23) weekly on tickets, allegedly assuring her partner that they would share any winnings. There was, however, no formal arrangement in place.

now living in a newly built home worth ￡500,000

The 39-year-old engineer revealed that his former partner is now living in a newly built home worth ￡500,000 ($584,607) that they had originally placed a deposit on together after the win. Before she left him, she supposedly sent Kirk ￡1,000 ($1,169) each month, but he has not received a penny since then.

Kirk claims he just wants 10% of the jackpot, meaning he would receive ￡1,000 ($1,169) every month.