Helen Ford, from the Welsh seaside town of Penarth, was a former ballet dancer who won half a million pounds from a National Lottery scratchcard in 2003, but it turned out to be a curse
Liam McInerney Content Editor
07:00, 15 Oct 2025Updated 07:15, 15 Oct 2025
Helen Ford struggled to find happiness (Image: Media Wales Ltd.)
A woman who scooped a £500,000 jackpot from a scratchcard met a tragic end, with friends saying the win was the “worst thing” to happen to her.
The heartbreaking story of Helen Ford, a lottery winner from the Welsh seaside town of Penarth, has resurfaced following the news a fellow winner was rushed to hospital just months after his windfall.
Helen’s lottery win came in September 2003, but she quickly revealed her struggle with manic depression, having been diagnosed with mental health issues at the tender age of 25.
In a brutally honest interview shortly after claiming her half-million-pound prize, she said: “People seem to think I should be happy all the time because of the lottery. But money doesn’t buy you health and happiness.”
Helen, a former ballet dancer, also admitted that she had tried to take her own life, adding: “The low points of my illness are terrible and when I get down it’s hard to get out of it. I can’t rationalise that it’s just a low phase and I’ll get through it. I hate being like that.”
Helen was just 25 when she was diagnosed with manic depression (Image: Western Mail)
Further shedding light on how lottery winnings cannot fix ongoing issues, she continued: “The lottery helps as it’s given me financial security and the opportunity to explore other avenues, like holidays that I wouldn’t normally afford.
“But it doesn’t buy health or solve problems. People who think if they win £30million it will solve their problems, it won’t.
“If I had won £30m it wouldn’t have made me better. Money isn’t what’s important in life and people should remember that.”
Helen splashed some of her winnings on a flat in her hometown, along with a luxury holiday to the Seychelles, a new Fiat Punto and a cat she named Mowgli. In a show of generosity, she also donated a portion of her windfall to Gamblers Anonymous.
Despite her lavish spending, even her closest pals could see that the lottery win was more of a curse than a blessing.
Her friend Tracey Alexander said: “When she won the lottery it was the worst thing that could have ever happened to her. She was unable to cope with being responsible for the money. It didn’t do much good for her.”
Tragically, Helen’s life came to an abrupt end 12 years after her lottery win when she was hit by a commuter train at Dingle Road Station after wandering onto the tracks in January 2015.
Her siblings paid tribute to her after the tragic death (Image: Media Wales Ltd.)
Later that year, Cardiff Coroner’s Court heard how Helen had been battling feelings of “loneliness and despair” due to her bipolar personality disorder.
However, it was determined that there wasn’t enough evidence to conclude that she had intentionally taken her own life.
Cardiff assistant coroner Thomas Atherton stated: “I am not satisfied there is enough evidence to return a verdict that Helen Ford took her own life. Helen died as a consequence of being hit by a train – her intentions at the time were not clear.”
Dr Martyn Davies, a psychiatrist from Penarth Community Mental Health Team, revealed at the inquest that Helen would regularly take overdoses as a “cry for help”.
He suggested she would then revert to her “normal happy and smiling self” and mentioned that supportive housing had been offered to aid her condition. However, Dr Davies noted that she was reluctant to leave her seaside flat, which she purchased with her lottery winnings.
Following her tragic passing, Helen’s sister, Rebekah Donovan, expressed: “The worst thing to have happened to her was to win that money. Helen was a character, she loved people and they loved her which showed by the enormous turn out at her funeral.”
Helen once harboured dreams of becoming an actress and even had minor roles on shows like Casualty and District Nurse.
Paying a heartfelt tribute after her death, her younger brother Simon Ford stated: “I am extremely grateful to all family and friends for the support, encouragement, warmth and friendship shown towards Helen throughout her long and difficult journey.
“She was an extremely talented dancer and it came as no surprise when she was accepted to Rambert School of Ballet in London. Unfortunately it was here that her mental health started to deteriorate and had to cut short her studies. Helen was a warm, kind-hearted woman who thrived in the company of her many friends.”
For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.