I cleared my £40,000 gambling debt after I started re-selling clothes online

I cleared my £40,000 gambling debt after I started re-selling clothes online 12 minutes ago Share Save Charlie Buckland BBC Wales Share Save 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 can't believe this is what I've managed to do," said Rachel. "I don't think I've ever been proud of myself in my lifetime but I'm extremely proud of what I've achieved." Despite past attempts to share, Rachel kept her addiction secret from 2020 until a holiday with her friend and family in August 2024. Her friend was speaking of moving into her own house and "doing really well", recalled Rachel, and while she was proud of her, the stark contrast between them struck a chord. "I was just like 'I am not happy. I am in a serious bad place right now'," said Rachel, from Merthyr Tydfil. "I kind of just broke down. It's like I completely released everything... I just couldn't stop. "I've got no money to literally do anything with and I was just completely broken as a person. "I admitted some of the most awful things... I didn't want to spend this because I wanted to spend that. "My children were there and they listened to it and they were like 'you can do this mam'. I think that's what gave me more fire in the belly to know that these children are literally backing me now." After almost 24 years in ...