WINNER STORY · EUROMILLIONS
Colin and Chris Weir won £161m on EuroMillions. Here’s where the money went
A former TV cameraman and his wife from Ayrshire won Britain’s biggest jackpot in 2011. Houses, horses, a football club and millions for good causes followed.
- Prize
- £161,653,000
- Game
- EuroMillions
- Draw
- 12 July 2011
- Where
- Largs, Ayrshire
Colin Weir had worked as a cameraman at STV. He and his wife, Chris, lived in Largs on the Ayrshire coast and had two grown-up children.
On Tuesday 12 July 2011 their EuroMillions ticket matched 17, 19, 38, 42 and 45, with Lucky Stars 9 and 10. They were the only jackpot winners, and they took home £161,653,000. It was the biggest lottery win in UK history at the time.
Where the money went
Over the next eight years the Weirs spent around £40 million, which works out at roughly £100,000 a week. That included:
- Frognal House, a mansion worth around £3.5 million.
- A vintage Bentley, several Mercedes and a Jaguar.
- Three racehorses.
- Art, jewellery and furniture.
Giving back
A lot of the money went to good causes too. In 2013 they set up the Weir Charitable Trust to support community groups in Scotland. They also backed Partick Thistle’s youth academy.
In 2014 they gave £1 million to the Yes campaign in the Scottish independence referendum. In 2019 Colin bought a 55% stake in Partick Thistle, with a plan to hand control of the club to its fans.
What happened next
After 38 years of marriage, Colin and Chris divorced in 2019. Colin died later that year, in December 2019, aged 71. By then he had moved to a £1.1 million seafront home in Ayr.
We couldn’t find any recent interview with Chris.
What other winners can learn
- Even a £161m fortune can shrink fast. £100,000 a week adds up to £5 million a year.
- A charitable trust lets you give in a planned way, and keeps doing good long after the headlines.
- Plan for your family early, with a will and proper advice.