JUST over a year ago, Herefordshire hit the headlines around the world as metal factory worker Ade Goodchild scooped the £71million Euromillions jackpot.
The win launched the former Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School pupil into the spotlight on March 20 2019.
The Abbey Hotel in Great Malvern was packed with journalists from across the country as Ade was revealed as the 15th-biggest winner in Britain at a press conference.
Speaking on the day, he said he had no intention of returning to his job at Special Metals Wiggin in Hereford, where he had worked for 24 years, with his sights instead set on enjoying the finer things in life.
"The main thing I want to do with my win is to help my family," Ade, who is originally from South Wales, said.
"The first thing I'm going to do is to take my parents property shopping. They can spend my inheritance now!"
He also announced his plans for his own future, which included travelling, a holiday home on the Algarve, and a big new home in Britain, with plenty of space for his two labradoodles, a cook, and a driver.
But since then, while Ade shied away from publicity in the months following the win, fake accounts popped up in his name on social media.
One tweet, purporting to be from the lottery winner, was shared some 45,000 times, and read: "I never ever thought I would have this kind of money in my life, but God works in mysterious ways. But who's to say other people can't share my blessings.
"Therefore I am running a giveaway. I will choose 10 people to give £1million to. Simply retweet and follow to enter. GL!"
In an interview with The Sun in October, seven months after his big win, Ade advised the many who covet his good fortune to look at their own lives, and find joy in the relationships they have.
Asked if he regretted going public, he said he preferred to melt into the background and live his life privately, but chose to waive his anonymity as a lottery winner as he knew he would be outed eventually.
He said he still buys lottery tickets each week, while splashing some of his cash on a new home, a silver Range Rover, and spending a few nights out in UK capital cities.
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