Lottery winner dumped by partner and cut from rest of £3.6m jackpot

[caption id="attachment_355811" align="alignnone" width="1248"] Laura Hoyle, Kirk Stevens and their two dogs (Image: SWNS)[/caption] The engineer from Nottinghamshire explained how Laura moved into his home with him after they met through a friend in 2018. He claims Laura asked how much he wanted for rent, but as far as he was concerned, she was his girlfriend, so he "didn't ask her for a penny". Instead, Laura started buying the pair lottery tickets, spending around £25 a week. Kirk claims that Laura told him the couple would "both live it up" if they won. [caption id="attachment_355810" align="alignnone" width="1080"] Laura's on video call with work colleagues when she found out she had won the tax-free money (Image: SWNS)[/caption] "Our arrangement was never any more formal but I didn't think I needed anything more," Kirk said, "We were a couple, living together in my home. Besides, I never expected to win." Of course, the couple did win, and they won big. Kirk said it was a "really exciting time" when Laura immediately quit her job and they bought a Porsche Cayenne. They even set up a ghost hunting business together. Kirk noted how both of their names were printed on the fake cheques the couple posed with for press pictures at the time, and that "every press release from [National Lottery operator] Camelot talking about both of us winning the prize together". But Camelot confirmed to JOE that all big National Lottery wins are paid to the individual who purchased or owns the ticket, and that the large cheques are merely a prop for photos. Laura was allegedly paying Kirk £1,000 a month from the winnings, and said she would pay off his student loan if he pursued his master's degree in mechanical engineering. Kirk said the couple planned to buy properties together and "build an empire." The engineer was hoping to take the relationship to the next level and bought an engagement ring for Laura, but the couple went through a rocky patch, and Kirk said that "the money was part of the problem". The relationship ended in June, and Laura moved into a new build home that Kirk said they had put a £500,000 deposit on after they won the jackpot. He claims he has also stopped receiving the £1,000 payments too. The engineer still has a job, which he never quit because he "never felt secure enough with Laura" to give it up. Laura declined to comment on Kirk's claims. Related links:

• The reason why lottery winners go public as UK's biggest EuroMillions revealed their identities
• Lucky UK ticket-holder wins record £195m EuroMillions jackpot
• Woman who killed lottery winner backs bill to keep winners' names private