Shock £2.2m lotto win saved my family from ruin…but came with a heartbreaking twist, reveals Married at First Sight star

MARILYSE Corrigan has revealed a £2.2m Lotto win saved her family from bankruptcy - after her dad lost millions he made from a booming club business.

The Married at First Sight star grew up with tales of dad James taking Dame Shirley Bassey to a chippie and driving Eartha Kitt to market in one of his two Rolls Royces while Lulu mowed his lawn.

James Corrigan, from Filey, was from a fairground travelling family and built up a multi-million pound fortune running Batley Variety Club with first wife Betty, bringing the world’s best entertainers to the sooty Yorkshire mill town between 1967 and 1978.

But he lost his fortune through artists demanding massive fees and huge tax bills, going bankrupt as his tempestuous first marriage crumbled.  

After struggling throughout the lives of his four kids, a twist of fate saw him become a millionaire again with the Lotto win - shortly after he was diagnosed with a terminal illness.

Now Marilyse has revealed the incredible rollercoaster life of her impresario dad - as a blue plaque in his name is unveiled at the building which used to house the club.

Marilyse, 40, of East Yorkshire, recalls: "Dad would regale us with tales of his old life. He was never bitter about losing the wealth he’d accumulated.

"He’d tell us, 'Don’t expect to get back what you give to people.'

"We lived in rented houses, never went on holiday, wore hand-me-down clothes and lived hand to mouth as Dad sold antique coins in York market.

"We knew he’d been wealthy and famous but it was before our time. It’s only now I really appreciate what a creative genius he was."

Rolls Royces and luxury life

It was all a far cry from the glittering showbiz days of the club's heyday.

Opened through profits made from running bingo halls, the deluxe venue had 300,000 members and and was known as the "Las Vegas of the North".

James and booking agent Bernard Hinchcliffe travelled to the US to bring over showbiz's biggest named and the venue hosted appearances by Neil Sedaka and Louis Armstrong, as well as home grown legends Cliff Richard, Tom Jones, Roy Orbison and Morecambe and Wise.

Many of the A-list stars stayed at the couple's luxury bungalow and were chauffeured about in one of James’s two Rolls Royces.

James paid stars well - Bassey and Armstrong earned £27,000 a week in the 60s, the equivalent of £500,000 today.

But the move backfired after James revealed this figure to the press and later admitted it was a mistake which led other agents to think "Batley had very deep pockets"- with more artists, including Cilla Black, asking for "what Satchmo got."

But the final nail in the coffin was the crumbling of James' marriage to Betty, which grew more volatile under pressure and descended into blazing rows.

We lived in rented houses, never went on holiday, wore hand-me-down clothes and lived hand to mouth as Dad sold antique coins in York market.

Marilyse Corrigan

Referring to the club that made his fortune, James told a friend: "I've created a monster."

After one bitter bust-up, the police were called and James agreed to be bound over to keep the peace at the magistrates court the next day.

Sick of the fighting, he handed Betty the keys to the club and walked away from her and the cash cow empire they had created together.

The club was closed in 1978 and James was left bankrupt.

Broke but happy

James found happiness again in 1979, when he tied the knot with ex-model Elaine Dorey, 23 years his junior.

Although still bankrupt, he was content and loved being a dad to their four children in his 50s.

Sadly though, financial stresses put a strain on the relationship and, eventually, led to an amicable divorce.

Marilyse says: "We saw Dad a lot, he was so encouraging and creative. 'Life’s not a dress rehearsal, you can do anything you want,' he’d tell us."

In 1999, James, now in a York bedsit, was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

One weekend in May, he sent his oldest daughter, Annalise, to buy some Lotto lucky dips.

In a twist you could not make up, that weekend James won £2.2 million on the Lotto.

Knowing his time was limited, the devoted dad gave the ticket to Elaine and told her to claim the winnings but look after him.

"And that's what Mum did - buying a spacious family home for us while Dad was in a cottage a few hundred yards away," says mum-of-two Marilyse.

"As he was dying, Dad told us: 'Reach for the stars and if you accidentally catch the moon, that’s wonderful. Go and have a good life, don’t be sad about me - I’ve had a good life'," she says.

"I’m so proud of him."

James passed away in December 2000 aged 74, dying as he lived - a millionaire.

"Money isn't everything" he often told his children - and he knew better than most.

This week, proud daughter Marilyse stood beside comedian Billy Pearce as a blue plaque was unveiled to James at the former club, now a gym.

Calling James the "man who put Batley on the map", she posted pictures on her Instagram and added: "Well done to my Dad. All of your 4 children are so proud of you and all you achieved throughout your life."