Woman Who Won $10 Million Lottery Jackpot And Lost It All Advises 'Don't Trust Anybody'

A person who won the lottery talked about what life is like now after using most of the money and going back to work.

We've all played the game of imagining what we'd do if we won a lot of money in the lottery. It's fun to think about all the exciting things we could do or buy.

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For me, besides paying off student loans, I would want to travel and buy a nice old-style house, maybe like a small Tudor house. As a special treat, I might start collecting rare books and old writings. That would be really nice.

Sharon Tirabassi, a 35-year-old resident of Hamilton, Ontario, had the opportunity to turn the imagined dreams of lottery winnings into reality.

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Back in 2004, she bought a ticket for Lotto Super 7 and ended up winning an astonishing $10 million when her selected numbers matched the odds. This was especially significant because Tirabassi had experienced a childhood in different shelters, and now she was a millionaire.

However, the big amount of money she won didn't come with someone to help her manage it wisely.

Taking care of such a large amount of money is not easy. There are experts like advisors, accountants, and banks, such as Coutts, that can offer help. They've been talked about in the news recently.

Unfortunately, Tirabassi didn't get this advice, so she spent a lot of money on things like houses, cars, fancy clothes, and big parties.

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They generously gave her parents $1million (£800,000) and split $1.75million between her four siblings.

The couple also bought four cars, a yellow Hummer, a Mustang, a Dodge Charger, and a Cadillac Escalade.

Sharon would also use the money to help pay her neighbour's rent - and even helped a friend launch a business.

In addition, the pair bought a number of homes in Hamilton and rented them out to families on a low-incomes.

She confesses that she only took occasional quick looks at her bank account balance and didn't feel concerned because there were numerous zeros at the end of the balance.

She told the Toronto Star: “You don’t think it’ll go at the time, right?"

After a while, she finally checked and noticed that her balance had decreased to $750,000, which signaled the need to control her spending.

She admitted: “And that was time for fun to stop and to just go back to life.”

Now, Tirabassi and her husband, along with their two children, are living in a rented house, and she has taken on a part-time job. She expresses that this lifestyle brings her much greater happiness. Moreover, a significant amount of money is still saved, placed into a trust for her children's benefit when they reach 26 years of age.

Her husband, Vinny, didn't mind returning to their regular life.

He said: “I lived like this my whole life, I never was rich. We grew up like this, so we’re used to it.”

Currently, the recipient of the jackpot rents a residence in Hamilton alongside her husband and six children, while working as a personal support worker.

Her husband, Vinny, notes that she frequently uses the bus for transportation, yet both of them remain unfazed as they have embraced their return to a typical lifestyle.

Vinny mentioned that the money had led to numerous problems for her, resulting in the loss of friends. This experience left Tirabassi believing that money is the root of all evil'. 

Vinny said: "Money doesn't buy you happiness. It caused her a lot of headaches. She lost a lot of friends, a lot of family."

After winning such a life-changing amount of money, Vinny warned anyone who wins the lottery should be careful - and only trust family members.

Vinny said: “Keep it to yourself and don’t trust anybody but family.”

They also offered guidance to individuals who win the lottery, advising them to place their trust primarily in family members and to maintain a low profile regarding their victory as much as they can.