I went on 56 stag dos in 18 months – it cost me £50,000 but it was worth it

Will Stevenson is stil paying off credit card debt, years after attending the stag dos of both friends and strangers

Will in costume with his fellow stags at a Super Mario-themed event (Will Stevenson / SWNS)

A man who attended 50 stag dos in 18 months because he "felt bad saying no" is still paying off the credit card bill - but said it was "worth it for the memories".

Will Stevenson, 43, first started his epic run of stag dos when he filled in for someone who couldn't go - and he was hooked. In the first three months alone, the party animal, from Lincoln, went to 16 events.

Not only did he go to celebrate with friends, but he attended complete strangers' events by hoovering up spare tickets for a cheap getaway. Word then got round he would fill in for no-shows, and he found himself in demand for trips all over the world, from Blackpool to Australia.

But Will said his partying days are pretty much over now - as he is happily married and is dad to Iris, three, with another on the way.

He's still paying off credit cards years on because the partying set him back £50k - but says it was "worth it" for all the memories and friends he made.

Will has only been on a few stag dos in recent years, including three for himself.

“Things are a lot calmer nowadays,” the car salesman said. "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. I keep in touch with more or less all the friends I made though!"

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 and friends during a stag do (Will Stevenson / SWNS)

Will visited too many countries to count including Ibiza, his favourite, plus 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 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."

SWNS