One of Britain’s youngest-ever National Lottery winners has revealed that she plans to retrain as a nurse.
Callie Rogers’ life changed dramatically when she won a £1.8m jackpot in 2003, aged just 16, while living in foster care.
Having since spent all of her winnings, the mother-of-four has now secured a place at the University of Central Lancashire to train to become a nurse, according to The Sun.
“Taking time out and working on yourself to become a better person pays off,” the paper quoted her as saying.
“So proud of myself and the future I’m making for my little family.”
Ms Rogers, from Cumbria, has previously called for the minimum age limit for playing the lottery to be raised from 16 to 18.
“You are only a 16, with all that responsibility. At that age, you can get the best advice ever. But you are not in a position to listen,” she told the Daily Mirror in 2019.
“I was too young. I suffer from such bad anxiety when I am going to meet new people. It preys on my mind, what a new partner’s family will think of me, or even new friends. I still get abuse just because of who I am.”
She also told ITV’s This Morning that the dramatic change to her lifestyle left her feeling depressed and suicidal.
Describing having spent large sums on partying, clothes, cosmetic surgery and £500,000 on gifts to friends and family, Ms Rogers told the Mirror: “At 16 you’re just a child, then suddenly overnight you’ve got to become an adult.
“You don’t have any understanding of money and the concept of what it brings. There were people who came along who I did not know before and have not been in my life since.
“At the time, you just want everybody to like you. The money did bring problems with my family, and friends as well. It just became too much to cope with.”
