An ex- millionaire who became homeless after his business which generated over £ 1million each year for 17 consecutive years has revealed how he lost everything and ended up in a homeless shelter.

Andrew Blythe also revealed how his family life also fell apart and how he turned himself around.

Blythe who appeared to have it all after setting up a successful electrical and plumbing business saw his personal life crumble around him, leaving him to resort to drugs and alcohol to deal with the pain he buried deep inside him.

The first knock happened while Andrew was on holiday in Croatia in 2018 when he lost a major business contract.

In the months that followed, his then-wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, his mother suffered a stroke and his best friend committed suicide while dealing with his own serious heart and liver problems.

“I was standing in front of my desk and my doctor called me to tell me I was being treated for heart and liver problems,” Andrew said.

“They said my heart monitor was showing irregularities, but two seconds later my wife called me and told me she had breast cancer and five or six tumors. My problems then became trivial. “

Andrew admits he “wasn’t there” for his wife and “felt useless” that he couldn’t look after her. But not knowing how to talk about or deal with it, he kept burying his feelings deeper and threw himself into work.

He said: “I wasn’t there for her because I was running the business. I couldn’t care for her or take her to hospital appointments because it was the other direction.

“I felt useless. I had all the money and the business but I couldn’t look after the one person I cared about.”

The businessman started “self-medicating” with drugs and alcohol and spending more and more time at work – at one point staying in the office for more than 70 hours a week.

Andrew recalled: “I had a bedroom set up in the office because if I stayed at home I would leave at 5 am so, in the end, I would stay at work.

“I couldn’t tell my wife and she could tell if I had drugs or drink so I almost stayed away on purpose.

“It was a crutch. I would think, the next day will be better but in the end, that failed.”

It all fell apart when one day, on his way home from work, Andrew took a detour and walked to his trailer, switched off all three phones, and fell into a deep sleep.

Andrew, from Essex, would never return to work. Bills and debts poured in and Andrew said goodbye to his home, possessions, career, and marriage, finding himself homeless and surfing on sofas with friends.

Paralyzed with debilitating depression, he finally realized he had to accept that he needed help, he told Essex Live.

He turned up at Southend’s homeless charity, HARP, with just two bags, filled with his only belongings – two pairs of shorts and four shirts.

But despite having “lost it all” Andrew feels he has achieved more in the last two years than he ever has before.

He is healthier and happier and finally, moving forwards – and says he is glad he spoke about his issues. He showed up to HARP in 2019 with just two bags, filled with his only personal effects – two shorts and four shirts.

“I felt ashamed and didn’t want to ask for help,” he said.

“I went to Citizens Advice and told them my story for Universal Credit and they gave me some money that day – no shame or embarrassment.”

He added: “If someone had phoned me and said they were taking a day off for depression, I wouldn’t have been very sympathetic.

“It felt like weakness to me. But only when I admitted it, I felt a lot better.

“I have felt happier now than I have for a long time. There’s so much help out there and sessions and courses to go on.”

HARP helped Andrew find emergency accommodation before moving him to a hostel and finally to a shared house in Southend, where he is now just five doors away from the first flat he had at 21.

He says the financial, emotional, and practical support HARP gave him was nothing short of life-saving.

“I didn’t care if I lived or died, I had no interest in working or anything – I had gone too far the other way,” he said.

“They are such selfless people there, they help you with food, haircuts, dentists and they will look after you, as long as you show willingness.

“They saved my life.”

Andrew applied to work in a hospital as a porter. “These are small steps, but if I got a speak out and get the nutshell needed.

There are lots of people struggling with mental health and depression. If you are, we urge you to at least speak out and get help. You don’t have to suffer in silence.