You must have heard many such examples when a person falls from the throne to the floor. Sometimes this happens due to luck and sometimes due to their own mistake. Something similar happened with a British woman also. There was a time when he won a lottery worth Rs 11 crore. Bought a big house for myself. But his personal life did not go well. He married 5 times but got divorced. Now the situation is such that she lives alone in a car with her pets.
Michelle Oakes was once the envy of the women of Essex because of her lifestyle, luxurious bungalow, riding stables and sparkling swimming pool. His partner had won £1 million (more than Rs 11 crore) lottery, after which his life changed overnight. Michelle, who had been married five times, thought that her life was back on track when she fell in love with the same builder who had built her lottery house, but this relationship also broke down badly and Michelle’s ‘rags to riches’ story got stuck in poverty again. Now they are forced to live in a static caravan i.e. a vehicle parked at one place.
Today, after several failed relationships, Michelle is single and happier than ever at the age of 60. She has also lost four stone of weight that she had gained during years of failed marriages, and has vowed never to marry again. “On paper I have lost everything, but I am happier than ever,” Michelle said in an exclusive interview with the Mirror website. She now lives in a small caravan with her beloved pets, Labradoodles Betty and Kofi, and her cat Bruce.
Lottery changed life, but did not bring happiness
Michelle’s first marriage was to forklift driver Simon Corn in 1991. They had two sons, but separated after four years. Then in 1996 came into her life Gary Brand, a doorman who won the £1 million lottery after a year of relationship. After that his life changed overnight. Michelle got a new bungalow, swimming pool, stables for horses, luxury cars, etc. After traveling the world, champagne, expensive jewelry and living every dream, their relationship began to fade and they got divorced in 1999. Michelle received a settlement of £37,500 (over Rs 44 lakh), and decided to sell her diamonds and move on.
Search for love and broken relationships
She then married two soldiers, Terry Clark and then Richie Oakes, with the latter of whom she had a son. By 2009 both these relationships also ended. In 2014, Michelle again came into the limelight. She discovered that the man she met on the website Plenty of Fish was Ian, the same builder who had built her Lotto home in the 1990s. Ian admitted that he had a crush on Michelle years ago. They got married in 2016, built a house, lived together, but after six years, Michelle had a “eureka moment” and asked for a divorce. Michelle tells that her mother’s death during dementia had shaken her from within. She was struggling with menopause, grief and loneliness. She sold the burger van and trained herself as a caregiver. Changed myself, improved my diet, reduced alcohol, lost weight and regained my confidence. He then bought a caravan worth £52,000 (Rs 61 lakh) in Clacton-on-Sea. Michelle says that now for her, life is not about diamonds… but peace, love of pets and sometimes a glass of pink champagne.
