A WOMAN has revealed how she bagged a £8million jackpot but lost it all in just a decade.
Within just 10 years of winning the grand prize, Sharon Tirabassi from Ontario, Canada, was struggling financially - and was forced to work part-time to make ends meet.
Before the win, Sharon lived in a humble apartment with her three children and could not afford a car.
For the 35-year-old, who grew up moving from shelter to shelter and lived off welfare payments, the massive windfall was nothing short of a dream come true.
When she won the jackpot in April 2004, she bought a house, married Vinny, and had three more children.
Wilko announces huge change from today as it stops selling Lottery tickets
However, Sharon splashed almost all her money on lavish designer shopping trips, fancy cars, all-inclusive holidays, and handouts to friends and family.
She took friends on lavish holidays to places like Las Vegas, the Caribbean, and Cancun.
In 2006, the newlyweds moved their family into a $515,000 home which Tirabassi got on a $360,000 mortgage, despite the money in her bank.
The pair bought four cars, a yellow Hummer, a Mustang, a Dodge Charger, and a souped-up Cadillac Escalade.
She also gave her parents $1million and split $1.75million between her four siblings.
Tirabassi purchased a number of homes in Hamilton to rent them out to families at an affordable rate.
She also used her winnings to pay people's rent, help out a friend when her husband went to jail, and help two friends launch a business.
However, after nine great years of splashing out on exquisite items and living her dream life, Sharon realised she was down to her last $750,000.
She said she often checked her account while spending money lavishly, but the never-ending zeros made her feel completely secure.
She told The Star: "You don’t think it’ll ever go away, do you?
Alesha Dixon fans unsure on her outfit when hosting New Year’s Eve Big Bash
"It was time for me to stop having fun and just go back to life."
By 2007, Tirabassi had spent half of her winnings and was living off the interest from investments with the other half of the prize money.
That year, the couple ran into trouble after her husband Vinny crashed their Mustang and pleaded guilty to impaired driving and causing bodily harm.
His license was revoked for five years and he was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
While he was in jail, the couple lost their house and upon Vinny's release, the family moved around a lot.
In 2011, Vinny went back to prison again after breaching conditions and driving with a disqualified license.
Now that Sharon and her family are back to square one, they live in a rented place and rely on monthly paycheques.
However, the mum claims to be way more happy living a normal life.
She said: "Money is the root of all evil. The moment I got it, I divided it among my family.
"All of that other stuff was fun in the beginning, now it’s back to life."
Hubby Vinny added: "I lived like this my whole life, I never was rich. We grew up like this, so we're used to it."
Tirabassi and Vinny are now hoping to instil the same values in their children.
She said: "I'm trying to get them to learn that they have to work for money.
"When they ask for money, I say I don't have any till payday. You have to wait."
