Warning: This article contains references to suicide
Britain’s youngest Lotto winner has issued a very serious warning after blowing £1.8m fortune.
Bagging millions at such a young age is something the majority of us can only dream of, but it became reality for Callie Rogers.
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Back in 2003 when she was 16, Callie won a staggering £1.875 million and her life changed forever.
The mum-of-four from Cumbria, now 33, spent more than half a million on homes for herself and her family, with a further £550k spent on clothes, tattoos and travelling.
But she’s since lost all of her winnings after blowing it for nearly 20 years.
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At the time, Callie was working as a shop assistant in her local Co-op on £3.60 an hour.
She told The Mirror: “I did not want that much money. I was in foster care and for the first time in a long time, I was really settled and really happy.
“At 16 you do not know what is ahead of you, because by God I did not expect any of that. I asked the Co-op if I could have my old job back."
Following her massive win, Callie experienced depression and attempted to take her own life.
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She appeared on ITV’s This Morning in 2018 and revealed she has ‘trust issues’ because of the money.
The lotto winner says she was hounded by ‘fake friends’ who just wanted her money.
Callie explained: “I would give money to distant relatives and friends of friends. I loaned £20,000 here, £13,000 there. I would never get it back.
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"People asked for money for new cars and I would help out. I was a soft touch.
"Now I realise what they were like. I was exploited because of my age. I had a lot of fake relationships.”
At 21, Callie attempted to take her own life and has since issued a warning to others about playing the lottery.
In 2021, the minimum age to take part in the National Lottery changed from 16 to 18.
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Now happier and studying to become a nurse, Callie hopes her own children never attempt to play.
She told The Mirror: “Overnight I went from carefree child to adult. All these years on, it still gets dragged up.
"Even when I go for job interviews, I am thinking about it. I suffer from such bad anxiety when I am going to meet new people.
"It preys on my mind, what a new partner's family will think of me, or even new friends. I still get abuse just because of who I am.”
Camelot previously told LADbible: "Callie received extensive support from us which lasted many years. She didn't take up the independent financial and legal advice offered by us.
"However, our winner's team fully supported her and helped her to handle media interest.
"We will continue to support Callie in any way we can if she wants."
If you have been affected by Caroline's death or are struggling in any way call Samaritans for free on 116 123, visit samaritans.org - or write down your thoughts in an email to [email protected].
Featured Image Credit: ITV/PATopics: Life, News, UK News, Money