A UK woman who won the lottery as a teenager has revealed her biggest regret after squandering her fortune.
Callie Rogers, 31, won £1.9 million (NZ$3.6 million) in 2003 when she was just 16 years old, making her Britain's youngest lottery millionaire. She immediately quit her job as a checkout operator and took up a life of partying.
The money didn't last long, as she reportedly spent £18,000 (NZ$34,500) on multiple boob jobs, as well as several-hundred-thousand on drugs, clothes and cars.
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The teenager gave away a further £500,000 (NZ$960,000) to her friends and family, and within less than a decade there was almost nothing left of her fortune. She claims to have been preyed upon by so-called friends and partners who took advantage of her youthful naivety as a means of getting their hands on her money.
In an emotional interview with the Daily Mail, Ms Rogers says her biggest regret was not saving enough to care for her youngest son.
Blake, 6, has cerebral palsy, and will need care for the rest of his life. His mother's income as a carer is enough for the family to get by, but she wishes she could afford to give him more.
"It's my one big regret that the money isn't here for Blake," she told the Daily Mail. "He loves sensory stimulation. If I had that money, I'd give him the biggest sensory room you could buy."
Ms Rogers has said that winning the lottery ruined her life, and called for the British government to raise the ticket age limit to 18.
"At 16 you are still just a child," she told ITV. "It nearly broke me."
Newshub.
