For many people, winning the lottery is the ultimate dream. For 21-year-old Jane Park, however, it was apparently a nightmare.
Park, who is from Edinburgh, Scotland, won a £1million Euromillions jackpot when she was just 17 years old, and claims that the money has made her life "10 times worse" than it was before. At the time of her win, she was working as an admin temp, earning a wage of £8 an hour, and living with her mother in a two-bedroom flat. Now, she owns two properties and calls herself a developer... but she wishes she'd never won.
"At times it feels like winning the lottery has ruined my life," she told The Mirror. "I thought it would make it ten times better but it’s made it ten times worse."
Despite having riches that many people in her position would have given anything for, Park insists she would have been better off without it.
"I wish I had no money most days. I say to myself, ‘My life would be so much easier if I hadn’t won.’ People look at me and think, ‘I wish I had her lifestyle, I wish I had her money.’ But they don’t realise the extent of my stress. I have material things but apart from that my life is empty. What is my purpose in life?"
In fact, she plans to file a lawsuit against the National Lottery, arguing that the minimum playing age should be 18, not 16 - as it currently is.
When asked whether she would give up her winnings, though, she laughed and said, "nah".
A spokesperson for Camelot, the organisation behind the Euromillions lottery, claims that help was offered to Park in order to ensure that she did not cause herself any harm by spending her winnings.
"An independent financial and legal panel was set up shortly after Jane’s win and we put her in touch with another winner, who won at the same age, to share their experience," they said.
"We have been in touch with Jane from time to time since her win to offer ongoing support. It is always up to the winners as to whether they want to take up that support.
"We will continue to support Jane in any way we can if that is what decides she wants."
Despite making such a fuss over her winnings, Park seems to have no problem continuing to buy designer clothes, or travelling to other countries, or forking out on cosmetic surgery. She's also complained that she doesn't like going to upmarket holiday destinations, because people look down on how much she drinks, and whined that she had to wait for her non-millionaire friends to be able to afford a vacation in order to enjoy a trip abroad.
Needless to say, many people are unimpressed with her statements.
"It’s scary how different my life is from my friends’. When they say they’re stressed about money they mean their wages are s**t," she said. "There’s no one in the same boat as me, no-one who really understands. I feel like I’m a 40-year-old."
Well, Jane, if you really do feel so terrible about the burden of having all that cash, why not give some away? I'm sure there are many charities who would love your help, and giving to them might give you more of that "purpose" you've been looking for. Or, failing that, would you mind chucking a few grand my way? I've got bills to pay and, unlike you, I didn't get £1million when I was a teenager.
No? I didn't think so.
