EuroMillions winner spent £40million of £161m jackpot before he died at a ... trends now
One of the UK's biggest lottery winners ever spent an average of £100,000 a week before his death after scooping a £161million jackpot in 2011.
Father-of-two Colin Weir died, aged 71, in December 2019 from sepsis and an 'acute kidney injury'.
But in just eight years the Scot managed to get through half of his £80million share, by splashing out on cars, property and buying a controlling stake in his favourite football club.
The estimated £40million spent was also shared widely among family and friends, donated to charitable institutions, used to create trust funds for the common good, and property investments.
A lifelong supporter of Partick Thistle Football Club, Mr Weir also acquired a 55 per cent shareholding in the company a month before his death so he could donate it to the fans and put its future in the hands of the local community.
The UK's biggest lottery winner Colin Weir, who scooped the £161million jackpot with his now ex-wife Christine in 2011 (above), died aged 71 in December 2019 - after spending an average of £100,000-a-week
Mr Weir was a TV cameraman before his lucky win, and he apparently still received a pension and when he died, the Department of Work and Pensions owed him arrears of £679.80
He was also the SNP supporter who contributed millions to his party and the Yes Scotland pro-independence campaign in 2014 which ended in failure.
The philanthropist's will gave a fascinating insight into his remaining funds and how, despite being catapulted overnight into the ranks of Britain's super rich, he appears not to have succumbed to the temptations of wealth.
Sadly, his vast Euromillions win was not enough to buy him health or lasting happiness – he suffered years of ill health and he and his wife, Christine, divorced last summer after 38 years of marriage.
At the time of his death on December 27, he lived in a £1.1 million five-bedroomed seafront home in Ayr, which he bought in June 2018, following the end of his relationship.
Meanwhile, he signed over to Mrs Weir, a former psychiatric nurse with whom he has two adult children in their 30s, Carly and Jamie, took ownership of a £3.5 million mansion, Frognal House, near Troon. The couple had reportedly bought the property, along with its furniture and fittings, after a 10-minute viewing four years earlier.
His will shows that when he passed away suddenly from sepsis and 'acute kidney injury' he owned furniture, jewellery and artworks valued at around £212,000, as well as four modestly-priced cars – a vintage Bentley Arnage, worth £10,000, a £28,250 three-year-old Jaguar F-Pace SUV, a £24,000 four-year-old Mercedes Benz E Class Estate and a 2019 Mercedes Benz V Class people carrier, valued at around £35,000.
In case of sudden emergencies, he also kept a petty cash box in the property, which contained a handy £263.90. A TV cameraman before his lucky win, he apparently still received a pension and when he died, the Department of Work and Pensions owed him arrears of £679.80.
Mrs Weir, a former psychiatric nurse with whom he has two adult children, Carly, now 32, and Jamie, 30, took sole ownership of £3.5million Frognal House, near Troon, after they divorced
At the time of his death, the father-of-two had managed to get through half of his £80million share of his lottery winnings - in just eight years
Mr Weir's will shows that when he passed away suddenly from sepsis and 'acute kidney injury' he owned furniture, jewellery and artworks valued at around £212,000
Mr Weir's will gives an insight into his remaining nearly £41million and how he appears not to have succumbed to the temptations of wealth
His council tax was also £37.08 in credit and, perhaps in hope of another lucky win, he even had the maximum £50,000 invested in National Savings and Investments Premium Bonds.
A long passion for horse racing led him to take part-ownership of three thoroughbreds controlled by syndicates, which included five-year-old geldings Knighted (£2,500) and Felony (£1,675), as well as winning Irish mare If You Say Run (£4,000).
His soft spot, however, was his beloved Partick
