How Euromillions lottery winner Colin Weir spent £40m in eight YEARS after scooping massive £161m jackpot
A EUROMILLIONS winner who scooped a £161m jackpot splurged £40m in eight years before he died.
Colin Weir, who won the lottery in 2011 with ex-wife Chris, passed away aged 71 from sepsis and 'acute kidney injury' in December 2019.
He was the UK’s biggest lottery winner when he cashed in on the prize, and managed to get through half of his £80m share in eight years.
When the dad-of-two died he had a £10,000 stake in Irn-Bru and more than £20,000 invested in Greggs.
Colin, who died aged 71, shared around £40m with his friends and family as well as donating generously to charity.
He also bought a 55 per cent share in the Partick Thistle Football Club a month before he died, as he had been a lifelong supporter.
Colin made a £2.5m investment, and his shares equated to £272k, which helped set up the Thistle Weir Youth Academy and a section of Firhill Stadium was named the Colin Weir Stand.
In 2014 he also contributed millions to the SNP party and backed the pro-independence campaign.
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Despite being the UK’s biggest lottery winner, he suffered years of ill health and was divorced by his wife Christine shortly before his death after 38 years of marriage.
He lived in his £1.1m seafront property in Ayr, which he bought in June 2018 following the end of his relationship.
The five-bedroomed house was the second that he bought, after signing over ownership of a £3.5m mansion, Frognal House, near Troon, to his ex-wife.
The couple had reportedly bought the property, along with its furniture and fittings, after a 10-minute viewing four years earlier.
Colin passed away suddenly after suffering from sepsis and kidney injury, and had kept a petty cash box in case of sudden emergencies.
His will shows that he had furniture, jewellery and artworks valued at around £212,000, as well as four cars.
He owned a vintage Bentley Arnage, worth £10,000, a £28,250 three-year-old Jaguar F-Pace SUV, a £24,000 four-year-old Mercedes Benz E Class Estate and a 2019 Mercedes Benz V Class people carrier, valued at around £35,000.
Colin also took a part-ownership of three thoroughbreds, which included five-year-old geldings Knighted, £2,500, Felony, £1,675, as well as winning Irish mare If You Say Run, £4,000.
He had also purchased around £3.5m-worth of property on the Isle of Man, and a varied portfolio of around £12.3m.
His investments were stakes in Microsoft - £20,368, Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton - £19,230, Estée Lauder - £19,813, Tesco, - £19,562, AG Barr, creators of Irn-Bru - £10,040 and bakery chain Greggs - £22,950.
There was also a significant stake of around £400,000 in tax-advantage Enterprise Investment Schemes, where individuals can buy into small and medium companies for generous tax relief.
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According to the will, Mr Weir's estate is still due more than £80,000 from the Spanish authorities, following the sale of a holiday home on the island of Majorca. The property had been specially adapted to cater for his mobility problems.
Speaking at the time of their win Colin said: “We didn't want to go away and live on a small island with no contact with the people who are important to us.”
The couple spent £5million buying houses for close friends and setting up bursaries for talented youngsters in the first year after they got their winnings.
Instead of selling their old £220,000 house, they gave it to a young mother who lived next door with her parents.
Mrs Weir, the second of six children, also bought properties for all of her siblings, and splashed out £850k on a four-bedroom detached home set in 23 acres of gardens and woodland on the outskirts of Largs.
They set up the Weir Charitable Trust to back projects promoting health, animal welfare, public participation in sport, and stories of their kindness are legendary among those in need who crossed their path.
Football-mad Colin also bought a £750,000 all-weather pitch at Largs Thistle, and the couple spent £50,000 on a sponsorship for Lee Craigmile to complete a four-year course at the Florence Academy of Art.
They also paid £102,000 for the National Sports Training Centre Inverclyde.
In August 2012, the couple paid a five-figure sum for a new prosthetic limb for 13-year-old Kieran Maxwell from Heighington, County Durham, who had lost part of his leg to a rare and aggressive form of cancer.
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Colin's will revealed that what's left of his estate – valued at £40,812,683.22 - will be managed by a discretionary trust.
Colin’s pals believe that it was set up to provide funds for his children, their partners and any children, as well as trusts and charities close to his heart.
