What would you do with £148 million? For former postman Adrian Bayford, the possibilities once seemed endless. After scooping one of the biggest EuroMillions jackpots in UK history in 2012, his life transformed in ways that many dream of – sprawling mansions, lavish trips, and big business ideas.
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But now, over a decade later, Adrian has made a surprising turn. The man once perched on the Sunday Times Rich List is reportedly giving up his £6.5 million estate to live with his 80-year-old mother.
Moving out: From manor to mum's cottage
In a move that few could have predicted, Adrian Bayford is reportedly leaving behind his seven-bedroom Georgian mansion in Cambridgeshire to move in with his mum. The sprawling Grade II-listed estate, Horseheath Lodge, was once a symbol of his post-lottery wealth. But it has since become more of a haunted mansion of bad memories, with multiple breakups and failed ventures under its roof.
According to Metro, Bayford and his current fiancée Tracey Biles are packing up and relocating to a nearby four-bedroom cottage, which Bayford had purchased for his mother. A friend told The Sun:
He thinks he can just downsize and have a simple life and go back to how things used to be before he was mega rich.
The house he is leaving is one he bought with his ex Gillian and where he split from his other fiancées so it’s full of bad memories for him.
He loves Tracey. He loves his mum so it makes sense for them to all move in together.
From postman to multi-millionaire: The windfall that changed everything
Let’s rewind to where it all began for Adrian Bayford and how his life shifted overnight.
Before the jackpot win in 2012, Adrian was leading a quiet life in Haverhill, Suffolk. A postman by day and a music shop co-owner by passion, Adrian lived modestly with his wife Gillian. That all changed on one life-altering August evening.
After 14 jackpot rollovers, Adrian and Gillian's numbers hit the big time. At first, he joked to Gillian that they'd forgotten to buy a ticket, before turning pale as reality sank in. Gillian later recalled:
I checked the numbers on my phone, the TV, the internet — and we just looked at each other and giggled.
As reported by The Sun, the pair marked the occasion not with champagne, but a humble Domino's pizza.
The win catapulted them into Britain's elite, placing them 516th on the Sunday Times Rich List. But money doesn’t always equal happiness. Within 15 months, their marriage ended. Gillian told The Sun in 2016:
It's upsetting and raw. The money was supposed to make everybody happy. But it's made them demanding and greedy. [My family] have lost touch with where they've come from.
Following the split, Adrian went on a spending spree, acquiring properties across the UK. These included two Scottish estates bought in 2020: one in Blairgowrie, Perthshire, for £1.1 million and another luxury pad just 12 miles away for £1.35 million.
Adrian also explored various business ventures. He opened a record shop, ran a pub, and even organised a music festival on his estate. Dubbed a 'mini Glastonbury', the event referenced the famous Glastonbury Festival — the UK's iconic five-day celebration of music and performing arts held in Somerset.
However, his version was short-lived and was axed in 2023 due to licensing issues and neighbour complaints.
He also started renting out cottages on his estate and planted vines to produce sparkling wine. Despite these projects, some dreams didn’t go as planned.
Adrian had once envisioned the estate as a buzzing hub for his next big idea: a children’s theme park with a maze, train ride, and an educational play barn. But the plans were withdrawn in March 2025 following fierce local opposition and concerns from the parish council. Just two weeks after the criticisms were filed, Bayford scrapped the project entirely.
From fortunes to fiancées, Adrian’s love life has seen as many turns as his business ventures.
Love in the time of lottery: A romantic rollercoaster
While his business life had its ups and downs, Adrian’s love life could rival any soap opera. Since his divorce from Gillian, he has proposed to four women. His current fiancée, Tracey Biles, an ambulance worker, accepted his proposal at Christmas in 2023.
Before Tracey, there were Marta Jarosz, Sam Burbidge, and Lisa Kemp. Each relationship started with promise and ended in headlines. Marta, a former sausage factory worker turned bodyguard, said Adrian asked her to marry him via text — the same night she met someone else.
Then came Sam, a stable girl who lived with Adrian at his estate and had 30 horses bought for her. Their relationship ended in 2017 when she reportedly left with 12 of those horses and reunited with her ex. Adrian had also splashed out on a £100,000 horsebox and a £60,000 sports car during their time together.
Lisa Kemp, a Frankie & Benny's waitress, was next. She moved into the estate, but reportedly left after finding messages Adrian had sent to Marta during a holiday.
Tracey appears to have brought some stability to Adrian's world. Despite their dramatic start — Tracey’s former partner claimed she left him to be with Adrian — the couple now seem settled. The move into his mother’s cottage signals a desire for a calmer, more grounded life. A friend told The Sun that he feels ‘like nothing could go wrong right now.’
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Sources used:
Metro: Man who won £148,000,000 on EuroMillions ‘leaves mansion to move in with mum’
The Sun: ADRIAN and Gillian Bayford won a mouth-watering 148.6million on Euromillions
Mirror: Adrian Bayford's rollercoaster life since Lotto win - divorce, four proposals, 'moving in with mum'
Daily Mail: The life and (many) loves of lotto millionaire Adrian Bayford
