I won £40million lotto jackpot but moved into a CARAVAN – then my girlfriend broke up with me & all hell broke loose
A LUCKY lotto winner scooped a whopping £40million jackpot before opting for van life and getting dumped.
Dad-of-two Gareth Bull, 53, scored his winnings in January 2012 after picking up the life-changing ticket on a whim.
The former builder realised he’d won the multi-million pound jackpot the day after he’d bought the ticket and celebrated with his then wife Catherine.
Six-years on, he splurged some of his mammoth fortune on a bungalow in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, only to have it knocked down and move into a caravan.
He said: “My friends said, ‘You’ve won £40,000,000 and moved into a caravan!’”
When the bungalow was half demolished in 2019 Gareth lived in the remaining rooms so he could stay on site and look after the tools.
Gareth added: “When the rest of the bungalow had to be knocked down, I moved into a caravan on the building site – much to the amusement of my friends.”
Thankfully for Gareth, the move was only temporary as he was in the process of building his dream 6000sq ft house.
“Once I got the green light to go ahead, I started digging and just didn’t stop.”
Despite being lucky in the lottery Gareth wasn’t as lucky in love, and split with his former wife in 2016, five years after their big win.
He then went on to have a whirlwind relationship with Tenerife bar manager Donna Desporte after they met on a stag do.
His wife was said to have spotted the pair in the background of a televised Anthony Joshua boxing match after they had split.
Gareth and his new lover had a star-studded nine-month romance after he used the pick up line “Google me” which ended being the title of Donna’s memoir.
Gareth then struck up a relationship with interior designer Victoria Melling, 48, around the same time he’d taken up caravan life.
After living in his trailer, Gareth was able to build his mega-mansion with the assistance of his new girlfriend.
The pair took to social media to share smitten snaps of couples holidays and luxury hotel stays.
Mum-of-one Victoria helped style the huge four-bedroom property during lockdown and stayed there frequently.
Despite looking loved-up online, and Victoria describing her lavish lover as a “knight in shining armour,” the couple called it quits after two years of dating.
The Furnish Your Interior shop designer told MailOnline: “I did design his house and I helped design his villa in Tenerife, but we are no longer together.”
The million-pound property boasts a wave-controlled swimming pool, sound-sytems, hot tubs, and a three personalised bars.
He also created an artificial lake, which originally designed to be a pond but increased to the size of two tennis courts.
The lucky punter added: “I called it ‘Lockdown Lake’, made a little sign with its name on it and invited anyone who needed to rehome their fish to bring them here.”
Ten lucky lotto winners
MATT MYLES
Matt Myles won £1,000,000 on April 8 2024. The factory worker immediately jumped on a plane to join a lads holiday he previously couldn’t afford. He now runs a property business and lives in Hereford with his wife and two kids.
JULIE JEFFERY
Julie Jeffery won £1,038,997 in June 2002. She kept working as a fire station after her win and only retired this year.
SYLVIA 0DOLANT-SMITH
Sylvia Odolant-Smith won £10,000 a month for 30 years. She decided to pay for cancer treatment for her beloved rescue cant Phangan that she couldn’t previously afford. The cat’s life was extended by eight months.
BRIAN SHARP
Brian Sharp won £2,003,705 in June 19 2010. The grandad-of-five purchased a five bedroom property five days after he won the jackpot. The former electrician worked for six weeks before his work could find a replacement.
BEN LOWTHER
Ben Lowther won £1,000,000 in October 2021. The video game developer won on a Friday and was made redundant the next Monday. He bought a house in Cambridge for his fiancée and three kids.
LESLEY HIGGINS
Lesley Higgins won £57,975,367 on July 10 2018. The 63-year-old port worker now owns her very own loch after purchasing a 850-acre estate near Perth with her husband Fred.
VIV MOSS
Viv Moss won £6,048,499 on October 3. She and her husband moved to Newquay in Cornwall and bought an apartment overlooking her favourite bay.
NATALI CUNLIFFE
Natalie Cunliffe won £1,000,000 in February 2016. After the scratch card win the event planner moved to Blackpool with her husband and two kids. Despite buying an Audi Q5 the couple still shops at Aldi.
ANNE CANAVAN
Anne Canavan won £1,054,000 on August 28 in 2015. She 63-year old grandma of five has written a children’s novel she hopes to publish and treated herself to a car.
RAY WRAGG
Ray Wragg won £7,649,520 in January 2000. The philanthropist gave £5.5million of his Lotto jackpot to family, friends, hospitals and good causes in Sheffield.