'I won £8.5m on the lottery while working at Tesco – but it's caused 13-year problem'

'I won £8.5m on the lottery while working at Tesco – but it's caused 13-year problem'A National Lottery winner said that while her life-changing prize has brought new opportunities, it has also led to a prolonged struggle in her personal lifeCommentsNewsSamantha Masters Content Editor 06:00, 15 Apr 2026View 3 ImagesKaren Child's marriage broke down after her lottery win A woman who won a staggering £8,471,383 on the National Lottery, has spoken about the unexpected downside of her life-changing win. Karen Child, from Derbyshire, was working at Tesco and living in a council house with her two children when she decided to try her luck on the lottery in 2007.‌In what became a life-altering moment, she bought a single lucky dip ticket on her way home from booking her wedding day.‌"That evening, I matched the first three numbers. I was thrilled, thinking I'd won £10," she recalled. "Then another number came up and another. By the sixth, I was screaming and shouting."‌Realising all her numbers had appeared on screen, she waited for official confirmation from the National Lottery, which later confirmed she had won more than £8 million."I couldn't stop shaking. I expected someone to say there had been a mistake," she said, according to Best Magazine.With her winnings, Karen and her then-fiancé went on to marry and traded a staycation honeymoon for a luxury trip to Mauritius, though the relationship eventually broke down.‌View 3 ImagesKaren Child, pictured with her fiancé Wayne Smith at the time, won 8.4 million on the lotteryThe lottery winner, who has since had another child, said she has now been single for 13 years and has found it difficult to rebuild her love life due to trust issues. "The hardest part of winning has been trust," she admitted."I struggle to trust new people. Now, I wait before telling anyone about my win. If nothing changes, they're a friend for life."‌Karen has also u...