Lottery win wrecks another marriage

Published Dec 2, 2013

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London - Kissing and cuddling as they celebrated a £45.5 million lottery windfall, Les Scadding and wife Samantha vowed the cash would only change their lives for the better.

But four years on, the EuroMillions winners are divorced - the third couple reported to have parted recently after landing a multi-million-pound fortune on the continent-wide lottery.

Sources close to the pair have told the Daily Mail they went their separate ways 18 months ago - and were often apart for long periods before that.

They said that while the exact reasons for the split remained a mystery, Samantha had been spending months refurbishing the couple’s £2million villa in Barbados while Mr Scadding remained at their home in Gwent.

Other friends said she had undergone a radical transformation in her appearance in the months leading up to the breakdown of her relationship, losing weight and changing her hairstyle. The 42-year-old is 21 years younger than her now ex-husband.

One said the bubbly former management consultant, who goes by the surname Peachey-Scadding - an amalgamation of her maiden and married names - spent much of her time at the couple’s holiday villa. Mr Scadding - who used some of his good fortune to take over his local football club, Newport County - was content to remain at the couple’s gated £1.5 million mansion outside Usk, Gwent.

They said that while Mrs Peachey-Scadding - an accountant’s daughter who ran her own marketing business - grew to enjoy the high-rolling lifestyle the lottery win brought, Mr Scadding remained “very grounded”.

One friend said the mechanic-turned-trucker, who was unemployed when his numbers came up in November 2009, “would be just as happy if he was living in a little terrace”.

The source said: “The money changed Sam. She spent a lot of time staying in plush hotels in London as well as Bardados. Les was happy just to fly out for shorter holidays there with her.

“Les was never materialistic, but Sam has a passion for diamonds - she drips in them.”

The EuroMillions winners married two-and-a-half years before their November 2009 win.

A friend said Mrs Peachey-Scadding had lost “virtually half her body weight” in a fitness drive by the time the couple separated. “You wouldn’t recognise her if you saw her now,” the friend added. “She has cut and dyed her hair too. Nobody knew what provoked the change in her appearance, but it was quite drastic.

“I think Les and Sam have just drifted apart a bit since they won the money. I suppose it’s true what they say - money can’t buy you love.”

Another source said a combination of problems were likely to be responsible for the split - including tensions over Mrs Peachey-Scadding’s desire to have children. “Sam always said she didn’t want children but I think she changed her mind”, the source added.

“It was something which was causing conflict. Les has already got three grown-up children. He’s past that now.”

Mr Scadding’s daughters, Lisa, 37, and Nicola, 35, are both understood to be living abroad. Their brother, Daniel, 32, from Bristol, said he was “not aware” of his father’s marriage woes.

But records show that Mrs Peachey-Scadding filed for a divorce which was granted in April this year at Cardiff County Court.

A friend said there was “nobody else involved” in the break-up and that their divorce was “final”.

Mr Scadding declined to comment at his home this week. He has told friends that his wife is living in London. Asked about the couple’s split, a relative at the Peachey family home on the outskirts of Newport, Gwent, said: “I don’t think Sam will want to talk to you. It’s a private matter.” - Daily Mail

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