Lotto Lag
Lee Ryan, who won £6.5million in a 1995 Lotto jackpot, now lives in a
flat in south London where he takes in homeless lodgers after his
fortune was lost in a series of failed investments and expensive toys.
Mr
Ryan hit the headlines when he landed the small fortune only weeks
after the National Lottery was established, then later that year was
sentenced to 18 months in prison for handling stolen cars.
Before
and after the prison stint, he proceeded to spend the money on
Ferraris, a Bentley and a BMW, a £1million Leicestershire mansion, a
helicopter and a plane.
A series of
misfortunes also saw his housekeeper jailed for stealing £40,000, while
his Porsche and caravan were set on fire in suspicious circumstances.
He
later divorced his wife Karen Taylor, with whom he had won the fortune,
and moved in with a 24-year-old student from Kyrgzstan.
The
two later moved to her home country in Central Asia - where he lost the
last of his money in a failed business attempt in China and a fish farm.
The
couple then divorced and he returned to London, where he spent two
years being homeless. He now lives in tiny south London apartment,The Sun reported.
He
told the paper he often takes in homeless strangers and is now
godfather to the daughter of a pregnant woman he found sleeping rough.
He
said: 'The money was cursed because I took the p*** out of God when I
asked him to make me a multi-millionaire. My cellmate warned me to be
careful what I wished for.'
He now works as a cameraman, which brings in less than £10,000 a year, but claims to be happier than ever.
'If I had not won the lottery I would probably now be doing life.'
Lee Ryan (left) with his partner Karen Taylor (right) pictured during a press conference after their win
Mr Ryan purchased several flash cars following his win - including this Ferrari 512 TR
.jpg)
