Screenwriter Kay Mellor – whose daughter Gaynor Faye is currently starring in Emmerdale as Megan Macey – has hit out at National Lottery organisers Camelot, claiming that many of the happy stories they cite about winners are “not always true.”

As you’re probably aware, big lottery winners are given the option of remaining anonymous or going public about their win, and those who choose to have publicity are invariably shown smiling happily while clutching champagne.

However, Kay – who’s written hit dramas Band of Gold, Fat Friends and The Chase – says that research she’s done ahead of penning a drama about lottery winners, to be entitled The Syndicate, paints a less than cheery picture…

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Kay said, “There are lots of stories put out by Camelot and they are all about people who’ve had wonderful times…

“But they’re not always true. One woman said she wished she’d not gone public.

“The family had become fractured and she hadn’t seen her grandchildren.”

Kay also claimed that people “felt pressured” by Camelot to publicise their win, however, a Camelot representative said, “We have created some 2,800 millionaires and you can count the number of negative stories on one or two hands.”

The Syndicate, which is about a group of supermarket staff who win the lottery – starring Joanna Page and Timothy Spall - starts on BBC1 on March 27.

We’d love to hear from you if you’re a lottery winner, and likewise, if the win has been the best or the worst thing that’s ever happened to you!