Man who spent £50,000 going on 56 stag-dos in 18 months says it was 'worth it'

A man who went on 56 stag dos in 18 months is still paying off the £50,000 they cost him - but says it was "worth it for the memories".

Will Stevenson, 43, became hooked on the celebrations after filling in for someone who couldn't attend one, going on to join in with 16 events in just three months.

As well as celebrating with friends, he would attend complete strangers' events and became known as someone who would fill in for no shows - taking up offers to party all over the world, from Blackpool to Australia.

The 43-year-old, who is now married himself with a three-year-old daughter and another child due, says his party days are behind him now.

He has also admitted that he is still paying off credit cards he used to finance his trips, which set him back £50,000, but said it was "worth it" for all the memories and friends he made.

Stevenson, a car salesman from Lincoln, said his exploits began when he bid online for a place on a stranger's stag do in June 2015 after someone dropped out, ending up in Budapest with 22 others.

After a BBC radio show picked up the story he was inundated with requests from grooms wanting him to fill vacant spots, heading away on trips to destinations including Ibiza, Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Amsterdam, as well as Sydney, Las Vegas and New York.

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He said the experience set him back around £50,000 in total - including travel, food, drinks and accommodation.

"There was a time I was going to so many that I felt bad ever saying no", he said.

But in 2016, the busy 18 months of partying slowed down when he proposed to wife Abigail - though he did have three stag dos of his own, in Blackpool, Brighton and Magaluf.

The couple welcomed daughter Iris in March 2020 before marrying in August 2021, and with another baby due in February 2024 it looks like Stevenson's party days are behind him.

"Things are a lot calmer nowadays," he added.

"When I proposed to my wife Abigail I told her I would stop doing stag dos apart from my own.

"That didn't stick - I did go on a few more - but they're not often any more."