A TV INTERVIEW.
PRESENTER: This evening, someone, somewhere could discover that they have won a £15 million lottery prize. At some point they will need professional help in dealing with all this money. Tina Williams is a wealth counsellor who specializes in giving advice to lottery winners. Tina, how do people usually react when they find out they have won so much money?
TINA: People react in very different ways. Sometimes they dance. Often there are tears. I usually join in, because you tend to get on their wavelength of emotions.
PRESENTER: What sort of decisions do the winners have to make?
TINA: Well, the first thing they have to decide is whether to go public. Then come a host of other questions: whether to stop work, buy a mansion in the country, give the money away, build a swimming pool, or look for a new partner. The first piece of advice we give is not to rush into anything they may regret later.
PRESENTER: Roughly how many people keep their jobs after winning?
TINA: Fewer than a third of all jackpot millionaires still work, but some who down tools can end up feeling rootless and guilty.
PRESENTER: Does winning the lottery tend to have a positive or negative effect on a couples relationship?
TINA: Well, according to statistics from the main lottery company, Camelot, 95% of lottery winners are still married to the same person.
PRESENTER: So what sort of help do you offer winners?
TINA: Well, we send in a financial expert, a lawyer, and a member of our team. These people provide help with banking, investment, inheritance tax, and estate planning.
PRESENTER: Do you ever feel envious of the winners?
TINA: Not really. Many of them really do deserve it. I remember one man who won just as his house was about to be repossessed by the bank because he had fallen behind with his mortgage payments. Then there's the couple who won about ten years ago and since then have given away about two thirds of their money to charity.
PRESENTER: Tina, do you ever play the lottery yourself?
TINA: Actually I'm banned from playing in this country because of my job, but I sometimes buy a ticket when I'm on holiday abroad.
PRESENTER: Tina Williams, thanks for talking to us.
TINA: My pleasure.