I won £8m lottery jackpot but never looked at bank account & lost it all in 10 years – money is the root of all evil
A WOMAN has revealed how she bagged a £8million jackpot but lost it all in just a decade.
Within just 10 years of winning the grand prize, Sharon Tirabassi from Ontario, Canada, was struggling financially – and was forced to work part-time to make ends meet.
Before the win, Sharon lived in a humble apartment with her three children and could not afford a car.
For the 35-year-old, who grew up moving from shelter to shelter and lived off welfare payments, the massive windfall was nothing short of a dream come true.
When she won the jackpot in April 2004, she bought a house, married Vinny, and had three more children.
However, Sharon splashed almost all her money on lavish designer shopping trips, fancy cars, all-inclusive holidays, and handouts to friends and family.
She took friends on lavish holidays to places like Las Vegas, the Caribbean, and Cancun.
In 2006, the newlyweds moved their family into a $515,000 home which Tirabassi got on a $360,000 mortgage, despite the money in her bank.
The pair bought four cars, a yellow Hummer, a Mustang, a Dodge Charger, and a souped-up Cadillac Escalade.
She also gave her parents $1million and split $1.75million between her four siblings.
Tirabassi purchased a number of homes in Hamilton to rent them out to families at an affordable rate.
She also used her winnings to pay people’s rent, help out a friend when her husband went to jail, and help two friends launch a business.
However, after nine great years of splashing out on exquisite items and living her dream life, Sharon realised she was down to her last $750,000.
She said she often checked her account while spending money lavishly, but the never-ending zeros made her feel completely secure.
She told The Star: “You don’t think it’ll ever go away, do you?
“It was time for me to stop having fun and just go back to life.”
By 2007, Tirabassi had spent half of her winnings and was living off the interest from investments with the other half of the prize money.
That year, the couple ran into trouble after her husband Vinny crashed their Mustang and pleaded guilty to impaired driving and causing bodily harm.
His license was revoked for five years and he was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
While he was in jail, the couple lost their house and upon Vinny’s release, the family moved around a lot.
In 2011, Vinny went back to prison again after breaching conditions and driving with a disqualified license.
Now that Sharon and her family are back to square one, they live in a rented place and rely on monthly paycheques.
However, the mum claims to be way more happy living a normal life.
She said: “Money is the root of all evil. The moment I got it, I divided it among my family.
“All of that other stuff was fun in the beginning, now it’s back to life.”
Hubby Vinny added: “I lived like this my whole life, I never was rich. We grew up like this, so we’re used to it.”
Tirabassi and Vinny are now hoping to instil the same values in their children.
She said: “I’m trying to get them to learn that they have to work for money.
“When they ask for money, I say I don’t have any till payday. You have to wait.”
LOTTO WINNER NEAR-MISSES
LOTTO winners have shared tales of when they almost lost their winnings before even being able to spend it.
MUM IS NOT ALWAYS RIGHT
Joanne Jobson from Hartlepool, County Durham, snagged the top prize on Set For Life and now banks £10,000 every month – and will do so for the next three decades.
But the hardworking carer revealed how she almost missed out on the prize money after her mum believed it was a scam.
After Joanne checked her account and discovered she had won a jaw-dropping amount of money, she rushed to tell her mum, who she lives with.
She said: “I jumped out of bed and went to tell my mum.
“I remember just saying to Mum: ‘I think I might have won a lot of money’ and showing her my phone.
“Mum was convinced it was a scam, so I googled the winning Set For Life numbers for the same date to see if they matched – which of course they did.”
It was only when Joanne got through to the staff at the National Lottery that she was able to confirm that her life had changed forever.
A MOVING OUT GIFT
Lucky punter Alan Jones, 56, had almost axed his ticket for his sold Tyne and Wear property.
Instead, on the last day in his home, Jones’ Westerhope postcode struck gold with him and five other neighbours who all netted £166,666 each.
Jones said: “I was going to cancel my ticket and renew it wherever I end up. Thank goodness I didn’t.
“I’ve got to be out by 2pm tomorrow and I’m basically packing up the house now because I need a new start. This has helped give me that.”
CHECK YOUR LOTTO BALANCE
Euromillions winner Ian Anderson scooped a £1million jackpot prize but nearly missed out on the life-changing win.
Ian Anderson, 77, and wife Marlyn, 70, bagged the massive sum after copping the fateful £2.50 Lucky Dip ticket.
The elderly couple only had £4.90 left in their National Lottery account before they opted to take a chance on the jackpot.
Marlyn, who now cares for her terminally ill husband after he was sadly diagnosed with pleural plaques and pulmonary fibrosis, always plays the Lottery but had no idea that one day she would win big.
She recalled: “I just thought there is no point £4.90 just sitting in my account, I will buy a lucky dip ticket for the next draw.
“It was the day after the draw that I saw an email saying there was good news about my ticket.”
LISTEN TO YOUR GUT
Tamsin Burling, 33, admitted to learning a big lesson after scooping £83,000 on the lottery
The mum, who won her share of £1million alongside her Kent neighbours, said her fiancé Craig Billington once tried to convince her not to buy a ticket.
But she ignored him and now they’ve scooped tens of thousands of pounds.
Craig, 32, looked on sheepishly as Tamsin, who at the time was seven months pregnant with their third child, celebrated the five-figure win.