A former bricklayer built his luxury dream home with a fake lake and three bars after landing a £41million Euromillions jackpot.
Gareth Bull, 52, scooped the giant payout with then-wife Catherine in 2012, before they went their separate ways after Gareth met bar owner Donna Desporte in Tenerife while on a lads’ holiday in 2016.
After the win he spent four years building the house – which he said helped him survive during the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns.
READ MORE: EuroMillions winner Jane Park in racy bikini pic after break following topless snap
To read more stories about the National Lottery, the results and its winners, click here.
Among the highlights of the 6,000sqft bachelor bad in Nottinghamshire is a giant artificial lake filled with hundreds of re-homed goldfish and koi carp, a swimming pool with programmable waves, an in-ceiling sound system, floating fireplaces, three bars and two hot tubs.
"I threw myself into work on the home. It saved me from getting too lonely. This turned into my ultimate lockdown project," Gareth said, after starting on the site in the summer of 2019.
Gareth was so devoted to the project he decided to live in a caravan on site so he keep a lookout for thieves. The house is extra special because I did so much of the work myself, and during the pandemic too,” he added.
Gareth’s pride of joy is the fishing lake – the size of two tennis courts – which he originally planned to be a “small pond”.
“I called it Lockdown Lake, made a little sign, and invited anyone who needed to re-home their fish to bring them here,” he said.
Gareth also built Lockdown Lodge’ alongside the house, complete with two bedrooms, a bathroom and a fully functioning kitchen.
It is filled with sporting memorabilia, including signed football shirts, cricket pads and boxing gloves.
He bought the site with a three-bed bungalow on it, but decided to flatten it to build his dream home.
Gareth, who has two adult sons, moved into the house on Christmas Eve 2020 and recently finished the epic project.
Gareth will be hoping for a quiet life in the new property – in contrast to his volatile love life since winning the Euromillions jackpot.
He separated from wife Catherine in 2018 following a string of revelations about his relationship with Donna.
Gareth reportedly whisked the bar owner off her feet after chatting her up using the line “Google me”.
Donna, originally from Bournemouth, claimed he told her he and Catherine were on a trial separation at the time.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.
