£9m lottery winner blows fortune, dies broke

A 58-year-old British man has died penniless and alone just five years after winning £9m (NZ$19.4m) in the lottery.

Keith and Louise Gough bought a BMW, racehorses and an executive box at Aston Villa Football Club following their win in 2005.

They also moved from a £160,000 semi-detached home to a £550,000 standalone house around the corner, the Daily Mail reported.

But Mr Gough began drinking heavily and the 27-year marriage broke down in 2007.

A conman scammed him out of his last £700,000 at a clinic where he was in rehab for alcohol addiction.

He subsequently died of a heart attack, according to the Daily Mail.

Last year Mr Gough spoke of how the lottery had "ruined" him.

"My life was brilliant," he said. "But the lottery has ruined everything. What's the point of having money when it sends you to bed crying?

"If I could crawl back on broken glass to where I was, I would. The lottery has ruined our lives."

- NZHERALD STAFF