Callie Rogers was just 16 when she won a staggering £1.8million on the National Lottery which led to immense troubles in her life that led to a devastating battle with depression
Becoming a millionaire as a teenager may seem like a hell of a good time or a recipe for disaster depending on your perspective. And one person who knows from personal experience what it’s like is Britain’s youngest National Lottery winner Callie Rogers.
She was just 16 when she scooped £1.875 million in 2003. Unfortunately for her, it led to some seriously dark moments, including being battered by two women where she feared being killed. Callie was in the news again this week after announcing a new boyfriend following heartbreak.
Here, we look back at the rollercoaster life she has lived from becoming an overnight millionaire to finding love again. Callie was working as a checkout girl earning just £3.60 an hour when she became the UK’s youngest lottery winner at the tender age of 16.
She had been raised on a council estate in Cumbria with her foster parents and was labelled “out of control” after the significant windfall, which she went on to splurge in nine years.
Her first big expense was buying a house so she could move out of her foster home and she even bought a car – despite not being able to drive.
Speaking to Closer magazine about the unwanted pressure she faced from day one, she said: “I was a local celeb and people would come up to me in pubs as if they were my best friend and I felt pressure to buy them all drinks. I didn’t know who to trust.
“It was too much money for someone so young. Even if you say your life won’t change, it does – and often not for the better. It nearly broke me, but thankfully, I’m now stronger.”
After suddenly becoming rich at such a young age, Callie made some wild decisions, including reportedly spending as much as £250,000 on cocaine (a claim she once made before later denying).
Another £300,000 went on designer clothes and she splashed out up to £18,000 on boob jobs.
However, she also gave away half a million pounds to friends and family, and it was no surprise that the party girl was eventually left broke. She also said “false” friends owed her £200,000 years later after borrowing from her.
Speaking to the Mirror in 2019, she said: “I still get abuse because of who I am. It comes from people who do not even know me.”
She went on to chat on This Morning about the dark side of her lotto win and said the pressure that came from it left her dealing with depression. Callie also revealed she even tried to take her own life.
“It just became too much to cope with,” she said. “Not knowing who liked me for me any more was difficult, and having all the stress of all the money.
“I just wanted to go back to having a normal quiet life. It was a lot to do with not knowing who loved me for me and who was just using me. Still at 31 now I really struggled with trust issues.”
Callie suffered some particularly low moments, including crashing her 4×4 while high on cocaine. It led to a police chase, resulting in cops pepper spraying her and in court she claimed she was living off Universal Credit before being handed a 22-month driving ban in 2021.
This came after another dark incident in 2018 when two women left her fearing death after they assaulted her on a night out.
The concussed mum suffered permanent damage to her sight because of the assault and even had her ribs and teeth broken. One of her attackers later told her boss she had “battered Callie Rogers’ head like a football” during the unprovoked attack.
Two women were jailed over it and in her victim impact statement, Callie said: “I was off work and started to suffer panic attacks. This has changed me as a person. I feel less confident. My nose is disfigured and it is a reminder of what happened to me that evening and how it changed my life.”
And speaking in 2021 about being in a better place, she said: “We all make mistakes in life and I made some when I was young and naïve but winning the lottery was a big part of becoming the person I am today and I’m proud of who I am.”
Callie is a mum-of-five and she went on to be a full-time carer to her son, Blake, who has Cerebral palsy.
Despite still struggling with trust, she said she was much happier since she lost all her money.
Callie also campaigned for the National Lottery to raise the minimum age of playing to 18 because 16 was “too young” and this was eventually introduced meaning her record of being the youngest ever winner is unlikely to ever be broken.
After her jackpot win, Camelot said: “Callie received extensive support from us which lasted many years. She didn’t take up the independent financial and legal advice offered by us. However, our winner’s team fully supported her and helped her to handle media interest.”
Her latest life update came this week after sharing pictures with her new partner Todd Eilbeck who is a 35-year-old gas engineer.
In one post, she called him her “world” and “best friend” and he also shared cosy pictures of the pair.
For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email [email protected], visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.