Eileen Murray/Facebook/Inside Edition/YouTubeSay you don’t need no diamond ring and I’ll be satisfied. Tell me that you want the kind of thing that money just can’t buy. I don’t care too much for money, money can’t buy me love.
Not my words of course but those of Lennon and McCartney in the Beatles’ Can’t Buy Me Love and somewhat relevant after an ex-wife has told press she won’t be getting back with her ex just because he’s won $273 million in the New Jersey Mega Millions Jackpot.
What’s wrong with people. Of course everything can be fixed with piles of money. You know, because being the fifth richest country in the world means our schools and hospitals aren’t falling apart (they are) and people aren’t dying in the streets (they are).
Ok, that’s too depressing an aside, I’ll go back to the lottery story.
Mike Weirsky and Eileen Murray ended their 15-year marriage in October last year. Following Mike’s big win Eileen has now spoken to the press about why she won’t be calling him back just because of the size of his wallet.
Eileen told the New York Post:
He’s not appealing to me all of a sudden because he has this money.
I’m not going after anything. I have morals. I know what I’ve worked for and it’s everything that I have.
During the marriage Murray worked as a cost analyst for a utilities company but her husband was unemployed, she said she was still paying him spousal support.
Murray didn’t explain to reporters why the marriage ended and said she doesn’t think Mike will reach out with an offer of any cash but hopes he ‘does the right thing’.
Pushed by reporters Eileen said:
Think about it. How long did I work? How long did I support him? I had to give him a lot of money in the divorce.
You tell me what’s the moral thing to do.
Weirsky said at a press conference that he heard from Murray on Thursday, she didn’t call him and doesn’t plan on talking to him for a couple of months.
ABC27Murray added:
He’ll think I’m there with my hand out and I have no intention to do that.
I truly wish him well … though I know he doesn’t believe that.
I want him to surround himself with good people. I don’t think anybody should be taken advantage of.
Mike very nearly lost out on the jackpot and the $162.5m which he’s decided to take as a lump sum after he left the winning ticket behind at a Quick Check petrol station in Phillipsburg, Mail Online reports.
Thankfully for Mike a Good Samaritan found the ticket and handed it in to staff at the store. Two days later he picked up the $2 ticket unaware that in just 48 hours it would bring him millions, which his ex wife clearly wants none of.
Mike explained at his cheque receiving press conference:
[I was] paying more attention to my cellphone. I put the tickets down. Put my money away and [there was] something with my phone…and just walked away.
I’m looking for the guy that handed them in. I’m gonna give him something.
He added:
It’s going to change everything because I was unemployed
I always wanted to know what it would be like to be able to just wake up and be able to go somewhere, buy something. And when I get the money I’m going to do that.
Tempted to buy a lottery ticket of my own tonight. Not to stick it to the ex. It’s just about all I can afford to buy with three weeks until payday!
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Tim Horner is a sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated with a BA Journalism from University College Falmouth before most his colleagues were born. A previous editor of adult mags, he now enjoys bringing the tone down in the viral news sector.