Inside £11.5m Brit winner's jewel-dripping marriage proposal on luxury yacht
A lucky scaffolder who won a record £11.5million on an online slot game has popped the question to his girlfriend during a luxury trip to Turkey.
Dad-of-two Arron Freeman, 44, popped the question to Kelly Dighton, 41, on a yacht near a bridge which displayed her name in lights. She said on Facebook: "Finally I am going to get my fairytale with my absolute world Arron Paul Freeman, we are getting married. Never knew he could be so romantic, how he got down on one knee was the most amazing thing anyone's ever done for me. Thank you Arron, you are the most amazing man in the world. I love you endlessly."
Life changed for Arron and Kelly on June 5 when he won £11.5m on Betfred's online slot game Mega Moolah with a £1.50 stake. Since then, the biggest winners in the betting firm's 58-year history have splashed the cash. Arron has apparently bought a BMW M8, which costs £150,000 new.
Kelly, who has shared on TikTok her progress recovering from a drug addiction, showed off a mammoth diamond ring, said to be from Tiffany & Co. In her videos she wears a £315 Gucci brooch and a diamond-encrusted Rolex, while talking about having face fillers, a Brazilian butt lift and liposuction in Turkey.
In one post last week she said: "Hi guys, how are we? Oh my God, life, how much my life has changed. Yeah, everything's really good. I'm in Turkey at the moment. Loving life, guys, loving life. It's awesome out here, absolutely brilliant, loving life. Crazy stuff really happening to me at the moment. I will talk more about it in a few weeks, once it's all settled, really. I've come to Turkey, I've had a few face fillers and stuff done, so I'm just waiting for the swelling to go down. And I'm also having an operation tomorrow. I'm having a 360 lipo and a BBL. I'm looking forward to seeing the results guys."
Arron, who runs ASL Scaffolding in Lowestoft, Suffolk, is said to have celebrated the win with Champagne at the pub run by Kelly's parent Betfred founder Fred Done called him to offer his congratulations and invited him to Old Trafford as his guest. After the win, Arron said: 'It's still sinking in, but it was class of Fred to phone me. He told me to look after my cash and that is my plan. I'm looking forward to meeting Fred at a manchester -united-fc> Manchester United home game. Hopefully, we will both celebrate if the reds win."
He added: 'I've been a horse racing punter my whole life and hit the crossbar a few times with some of my accas but obviously never hit the jackpot like this. It was the missus' idea that we gave the casino a go and we certainly got lucky. I love racing so I will still have a bet on the horses, but it will still be my normal small stakes.'
Prior to the win, Kelly told her TikTok followers that she was more than 100 days clean. Mr Freeman shared a post on Facebook in April expressing support for his partner. He shared one of her posts, commenting: "What can I say apart from I'm so proud of you, my beautiful woman! You're getting stronger by the day, which is making me stronger by the day! Please share this and make people aware."
Speaking to the EDP after the win, Mr Freeman said: "I am in shock, but I am not gonna say too much at the minute. Basically, I am going to sell my story to the highest bidder. The money the highest bidder gives me is going to be put towards building a homeless shelter, so it's going to go to a good cause."
Ms Dighton's parents run the Lake Lothing Public House on Rotterdam Road in Lowestoft, Suffolk. Man United fan Mr Freeman is understood to have been living between there and his father's house in Mulbarton, Norfolk. A friend, who wished to remain anonymous, reportedly said: 'Aaron is still in shock, and it hasn't really set in. Of course, it is a life-changing amount of money, so it's something I think he is coming to terms with. He is a father, and I think he's still trying to get his head around it. I think he and his partner are off on holiday and are going to take some time to decide their options."
'He's a sensible chap and is planning to invest some of his winnings into property for his family,' said Betfred founder Mr Done. 'But not before enjoying a holiday of a lifetime." Mr Done also advised the jackpot winner to never gamble again.
The record-breaking payout is more than double of the previous biggest win at Betfred, when in 2023 Michael Clark from Newcastle scooped £5.4m. Mega Moolah is a safari-themed jackpot slot that has five reels and 25 paylines. The minimum bet is 25p per spin.
With doubling wild wins and a Free Spins feature with a trebling multiplier, it's all about the Progressive Jackpot Bonus Game where you spin to wheel to guarantee 1 of 4 progressive jackpots.
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