For four years, Rachel Grady hid her shopping and gambling addiction from everyone, including her husband and two children.
She said her breaking point came while on a holiday she could “barely afford” in 2024, when she admitted to those closest to her she had “nothing to her name” and was in £40,000 of debt.
“I was just completely broken as a person,” said Rachel, 41, who had maxed out several credit cards and was earning a wage that just about covered her minimum repayments.
Yet her admission led her to teach herself how to re-sell clothes online, clearing that massive debt in just over a year and completely turning her life around.
“Sometimes I sit here and I think ‘I don’t know if I’m still dreaming’, like maybe I’ll wake up, because I…