We are often told that money changes everything. For Margaret Loughrey, it certainly did.
One week she was living on a modest allowance, counting every euro. The next, she was worth £27 million. What followed was not a fairy tale, but a cautionary story about wealth, isolation and the fragile nature of happiness.
‘If there is a hell, I have been in it’
In 2013, Margaret Loughrey, from Strabane in Northern Ireland, saw her life transformed overnight after matching the winning numbers in the EuroMillions. Her prize – £27 million, roughly €30 million – was enough to secure financial comfort for generations.
Before that moment, she had been surviving on around €60 a week. The contrast was staggering. Overnight, she moved from scraping by to possessing what many would consider unimaginable wealth. It is the sort of transformation that fuels the lottery dream.
Yet within months, cracks began to appear.
Margaret distanced herself from her family – her parents and four siblings. Her brother later spoke publicly about the confusion this caused. Although she ensured relatives were financially supported, she no longer wanted them close. ‘She made sure we were all right,’ he said, ‘but she did not want us in her life.’
Psychologists have long warned about the emotional strain that sudden wealth can create. According to the Mental Health Foundation, major life changes – even positive ones – can significantly increase stress and anxiety. In Margaret’s case, the upheaval was profound.
Just four months after her win, she was admitted to psychiatric hospital after being deemed a risk to herself and others. What had begun as a miracle appeared to be turning into something far darker.
‘I do not believe in religion,’ she later said in an interview, ‘but if there is a hell, I have been in it.’ The money, she insisted, had brought her nothing but sorrow.
The cost of sudden wealth
Stories of overnight millionaires often focus on champagne corks and luxury homes. Far less attention is given to the psychological aftermath. The National Lottery in the UK offers winners access to financial and emotional support precisely because the transition can be overwhelming.
Margaret’s struggles did not end with her hospital stay. In 2015, she was ordered to complete 150 hours of community service after an incident involving a taxi driver, during which property was damaged. Later, she was required to pay €30,000 to a former employee whom she had dismissed without proper grounds.
These episodes painted a picture of a woman wrestling with her circumstances. She described the windfall as a kind of poisoned gift, saying the fortune had destroyed her life rather than improved it.
Financial experts frequently note that money amplifies existing vulnerabilities. Without a stable support network, wealth can magnify isolation. Margaret herself summed it up starkly: ‘There is no point in having £27 million and being alone.’
It is a sentiment echoed by research from organisations such as Harvard University’s long running study on adult development, which consistently highlights relationships – not riches – as the strongest predictor of long term wellbeing.
A complicated legacy
Despite the turbulence, Margaret was not without generosity. Residents of Strabane recall her charitable donations, including contributions to local projects benefiting children and people with disabilities. Behind the headlines and court cases, there was also a woman who gave freely.
In September 2021, she was found dead in the modest bungalow where she had been living while waiting for her dream home to be completed. She was 56. Her passing deeply affected the local community, which remembered both her struggles and her kindness.
It is tempting to frame stories like this as simple morality tales – proof that money cannot buy happiness. The truth is more complex. Wealth can provide security, healthcare, opportunity. But it cannot replace connection, stability or mental health support.
Margaret Loughrey’s life serves as a sobering reminder that a life changing jackpot is not a guarantee of peace. Behind every headline figure is a human being, with vulnerabilities that no cheque can erase.
In the end, her story is not really about numbers on a ticket. It is about the delicate balance between fortune and fulfilment – and the quiet, often overlooked truth that wellbeing depends on far more than a bank balance.
