Lottery winner who bought Ferrari and pet alligator posts cheeky clip in latest bid to stay in the spotlight

Includes video report

By Kate Northrop

A German lottery winner of a €10 million (US$10.56 million) prize is not in social media's good graces after posting a video of himself handing a €500 bill to his girlfriend, who proceeds to use it to dry fake tears and blow her nose.

Immediately after his €10 million lottery win, Kursat "Chico" Yildirim, 42, dumped his ex-girlfriend, bought a Ferrari, and adopted a pet alligator (seen walking on a leash in March). His latest flashy move involves a video he posted to social media of him offering €500 bills to his girlfriend so she can use them as handkerchiefs.

In August, the former convict-turned-lottery winner announced he was dating a policewoman who pulled him over for speeding, only known as 36-year-old Candice N.

"Mr. Yildirim thought he was coming down the street a little too quickly and didn't see that I was standing at the intersection," Candice recalled of the moment she asked him to pull over. After receiving his speeding ticket, the lottery winner turned on the charm.

"I'm not usually like that, but I asked her, 'Maybe we can go for a coffee together?'" Yildirim recounted.

"Because he was so persistent, I gave in, as per the motto: 'A coffee doesn't kill you,'" Candice continued. "I thought it would end quickly."

They kept their romance a secret for several months but broke the silence with an account of their loving relationship.

"I fell in love with Candice right away — the red hair, the freckles, her amazing body — I can't get enough of her," Yildirim had announced. "She has a big heart, radiates so much humanity. She is self-confident and has both feet firmly on the ground. I can rely on [her] 100%."

Candice had nothing but niceties in return, adding that she "knew he was a man [she] could call anytime" even before going on a single date with him. She described him as a loyal person "who would move mountains for [her] if necessary."

Not wanting to "take Chico for his money" and give off the impression that she was dating him for his newfound wealth, Candice outright refused expensive presents from him at first but relaxed the rule after "many weeks" when he gifted her a Lous Vuitton purse "to show [her] how important [she is] to him."

"I love spending time with him, but I don't want to give up my independence," she elaborated. "My full-time job as a state officer with the Dortmund police is still very important to me."

The pair can be seen in a video posted to Yildirim's Instagram account earlier this month, partaking in a skit in which they parody themselves.

"What's wrong?" he asks with false worry in his voice as he finds her crying on camera.

"The world is so mean to me. Everyone annoys me. The internet hates me!" she responds in dramatic fashion.

She then asks Yildirim for a tissue to wipe her tears, and he hands her a €500 bill.

"This is so sad," she mutters while wiping away fake tears with the bill. "I need another tissue, sweetheart."

He hands her yet another €500 bill, which she then uses to blow her nose. She comically pretends to pocket both bills in an inconspicuous manner after using them, thanking him in the process.

The video was posted on both their Instagram accounts with the caption, "Haters, do what you love to do. For everyone else, don't take this too seriously."

Commenters had mixed reactions. Many lauded the couple for their bravery in posting a video that shows them enjoying themselves and for posing as caricatures of the lottery winner stereotypes in good humor.

"I have a runny nose and need a lot of tissues. You two are great," someone remarked with laughing emojis.

"Brilliant troll. Laughter is the best response to hate," another said.

Others did not take too kindly to the joke, with some criticizing the pair for making insensitive jokes and brazenly parading their wealth around.

"You don't play with money. Shame on you. There are so many needy people," one person rebutted.

"I'm not a hater, but you don't do something like that. It's a shame," another commenter added.

"If Chico's account is at €0, then he's single again," a viewer quipped.

In a recent interview with a German news outlet, Yildirim said that he wouldn't mind getting into acting professionally, claiming that he had experience with crime in real life.

"I wish with all my heart that I could one day play in a Dortmund crime scene," he revealed. "I grew up in the northern part of the city, was a drug addict, at the very bottom. I often had to act to fool people."

"Chico, when the money is gone, you don't have to act anymore," one more commenter said on his Instagram post.

VIDEO: Watch the viral video

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