Youngest Omaze winner selling £3m mansion just six months after big win

Daily Record

7 hours ago

Lauren Keene won a luxury clifftop home and £250,000 cash last year, but now, just half a year later, the 24-year-old nanny is putting her dream house on the market.
Lauren Keene made headlines last December when she became the youngest-ever winner of a multi-million-pound Omaze prize draw—bagging a stunning £3million clifftop mansion on the Wirral Peninsula and an eye-watering £250,000 in cash.
But just six months on, the 24-year-old nanny from Gloucester is ready to part ways with her dream home. The luxury property has now hit the market for £2.5million—half a million less than its estimated value.
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The six-bedroom house, perched on an elevated sandstone ridge with sweeping views over the Irish Sea, comes with a wraparound terrace and an outdoor heated pool. Rightmove describes the place as 'striking' and 'something truly special'—and it's just a short walk from Caldy Beach.
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However, while the prize home looked like a fantasy come true, it quickly proved to be more of a logistical headache, reports the Mirror.
Lauren, who bought her winning ticket for just £20, initially planned to move into the mansion with her partner, software engineer Ryan Mitchell. At the time, she was living in a modest two-bedroom flat with her father, Daniel Keene, in Gloucester.
'Only last week we were looking at houses we thought we could never afford,' she said shortly after winning. 'Now our first property is a £3million mansion. It's crazy to think we'll never have a mortgage. It's life-changing.'
The couple even celebrated their win with a McDonald's. But the fairytale soon lost its sparkle as the reality of owning a massive home nearly 200 miles away—and the cost of running it—set in.
They only stayed in the house a handful of nights before deciding it wasn't a practical move.
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'It is a lovely house, but the associated costs are significant,' said Lauren's dad, Daniel, 46, speaking to Mail Online. 'For example, although the pool is heated, it's outdoors and not thermally protected, so the heat escapes very quickly. Keeping it warm in the winter would cost a fortune. They've turned it off for now, but we braved it during our visit—and I can tell you that water is very cold.'
Now, Lauren and Ryan are preparing to buy a more modest semi-detached home in Gloucester using some of the cash prize and savings—putting down roots closer to family and work.
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'Every week she tells me she's moving out, and every week she's still here,' Daniel joked. 'But what's important is that she's happy and doing what's right for her. And in both cases, she is.'
He added: 'I'm sure when they do move in, I'll be asked to fit the new bathroom and kitchen. And it'll be a pleasure.'
Though she's letting go of the mansion, Lauren still walks away with the £250,000 cash prize and, once sold, the property will give the couple a strong financial foundation.
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'Winning this house has transformed our lives forever,' Lauren said. 'Whatever we decide to do long-term, we're made for life now.'
Omaze rules allow winners to do what they like with the homes—move in, rent them out, or sell up. And Lauren is far from alone in choosing to sell. Of the 14 UK Omaze house draw winners so far, only three have kept their properties.
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Others have cited similar reasons for selling—like high maintenance costs or distance from family.
In 2023, June Smith, a widow who won a £4.5million mansion in Cornwall, sold the property to financially support her children and grandchildren.
On the other hand, finance analyst Becca Pott, 32, did make her dream home permanent. She and husband Ben decided to stay in the £3.5million home near Ascot they won in February 2022.
'We always knew we were going to move in and enjoy it for at least that first summer, just to experience living in a place like this as a family,' she told The Sunday Times . 'But after a few weeks we realised we didn't want to leave so decided we should keep it.'