'I went on 56 stag dos in 18 months - it cost me £50k but was worth it'

30 July 2023 , 15:29

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Stag-do lover Will Stevenson is still paying off credit cards years later (Image: Will Stevenson / SWNS)

A party animal who went on a whopping 56 stag dos in 18 months has no regrets, even though he's still paying off his credit card debts years later.

Will Stevenson became obsessed with attending the raucous parties after he replaced someone at a stag do who was unable to attend last minute. He immediately became hooked, and the 43-year-old dad from Lincoln, went to more than one event a week for the first few months.

He has even attended complete strangers' events by grabbing spare tickets for a cheap getaway, and has travelled all over the world from Blackpool to Australia and Las Vegas. Will said his partying days are pretty much over now, though, as he is happily married to wife Abigail.

He is also dad to three-year-old Iris, and has another baby on the way - but that doesn't stop the car salesman from having fun from time to time.

The dad from Lincoln says his credit card debt was 'worth it' (Will Stevenson / SWNS)

He is happily married to wife Abigail (Will Stevenson / SWNS)

Will, whose favourite stag do destination is Ibiza, says he's still paying off credit cards years on because the partying set him back £50k because he 'couldn't say no'. However, he wouldn't change a thing, as it was 'worth it' for all the friends he made, many of whom he still keeps in touch with.

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Will has only been on a few stag dos in more recent years - including three for himself. He said: "Things are a lot calmer nowadays. 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."

Will, pictured with wife Abigail and baby Iris (Will Stevenson / SWNS)

His partying days are 'now over' (Will Stevenson / SWNS)

His exploits began when he bid online for a place on a stranger's stag do in June 2015, when one person dropped out, and he ended up in Budapest with 22 lads. A BBC radio show picked up the story - and after that he was inundated with requests from grooms wanting him to fill a vacant spot.

Will visited too many destinations to count including Ibiza, Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Amsterdam, as well as Sydney, Las Vegas and New York. Will said the experience set him back around £50k in total - including travel, food, drinks and accommodation. Despite often going away not knowing any of the other members of the party, he said he made lifelong pals.

He's been to 56 stag dos, from Blackpool to Australia (Will Stevenson / SWNS)

He said: "There was a time I was going to so many that I felt bad ever saying no." In 2016, his wild 18 months ground to a halt when he proposed to Abigail. He vowed to calm down a bit although it didn't stop him having three stag dos of his own - Blackpool, Brighton and Magaluf.

Will and Abigail had daughter Iris in March 2020, and then married in August 2021, forcing him to tone it down for good, with a second baby due in February 2024. Will added: "It was always an adrenaline rush. I did need about three months of not drinking after them all though."

Sam Ormiston