Margaret Loughrey, the EuroMillions winner who said her £27million win 8 years ago ‘destroyed her life’, has been found dead.
Belfast Live reported that emergency services were called to Loughrey’s home in Ballycolman area of Strabane, Northern Ireland around 10.30am this morning.
Police said they are not treating the death of Margaret Loughrey who lived alone as “suspicious”, but a post mortem will be carried out to determine the cause.
A Police Service of Northern Ireland spokesperson said;
“Police received a report of the sudden death of a woman at the Ballycolman Lane area of Strabane on Thursday 2nd September.
“A post mortem is due to take place but at this stage, the death is not being treated as suspicious.”
Ms Loughrey, who was unemployed, bought her winning ticket on the way home from the Job Centre in 2013. She matched five numbers and two lucky stars to win £26,863,588 in 2013 – the largest ever jackpot won in Northern Ireland at the time.
Despite her huge win, Loughrey continued to live in her home town and vowed to “spread” the cash around.
She said earlier;
“No point having £27million and being lonely. That can’t make me happy, that can only make me happy that everybody else’s happy and so far everybody is absolutely delighted.”
After her big win, Loughrey splashed out on a string of properties – including a pub, houses and a mill.
The jackpot however caused her life to spiral and in 2015, she was ordered to carry out 150 hours of community service after being convicted of assaulting a taxi driver. Three years later, she had to pay £30,000 to a former employee for bullying and firing him on a “vindictive whim”.
Margaret later said the win had “sent her to hell and back” even though she was living on benefits and unemployed at the time. She also claimed she was left with just £5million in 2019 and said she had been targeted by thieves.
She said;
“Money has brought me nothing but grief. It has destroyed my life.
“I have had six years of this. I don’t believe in religion, but if there is a hell, I have been in it. It has been that bad. I went down to five-and-a-half stone.”