THEY say we are all just one paycheque away from being homeless. ROSALYN RODEN meets one former businessman who ended up on the streets after illness led his seemingly perfect life to unravel.

MARK Kilner had it all - his own entertainment company, a beautiful semi-detached home, a fancy car and his beloved pet Teela.

But a battle with illness four years ago set in motion a chain of events he could never have imagined.

Now, the 53-year-old has lost everything when bailiffs evicted him from his £209,000 semi-detached Smithills home after he fell into arrears with his mortgage.

Today he is sharing his story to highlight just how precarious life can be, even for those who look like they have everything.

“I pleaded with them to let me stay and to have some time to gather my belongings,” he said.

At 8am the following morning, the former businessman and his beloved 10-year-old Great Dane, Teela, were forced to leave. The locks on his home were changed.

Mark, a former events and entertainments organiser, said: “They gave me half a day’s grace. They said once I stepped outside my door, I was out. I was sleeping on concrete.

“One of my neighbours gave me a sleeping bag and a lilo on the third day.

“We were sleeping outside my house for 18 days because nobody gave me a roof over my head. I lost all hope. I was going to commit suicide. I had planned it. I was glad Teela was with me. She has been my best mate.”

Another neighbour offered Teela a place to sleep in the back of his van, where she stayed for just over two weeks.

Mark was finally able to secure his dog a safe, temporary home with a friend of a friend in Littleborough after sharing an appeal on Facebook.

Mark’s ordeal started in 2014, after a battle with septicaemia — blood poisoning — which was not diagnosed until 2016.

The last four years have involved periods of sickness, several visits to and from hospital, as well as surgery, to remove an abscess, which was discovered in his right side.

Mark said that alcohol helped him cope with the pain.

He said: “I knew I was ill. It was like being paralysed. I was referred to various consultants. The only way to relieve feeling like I was doing, was to start drinking. The alcohol masked the sepsis in my blood stream. Consultants blamed the alcohol.

“That went on until 18 months ago when I collapsed and they found I had septicaemia.”

Unable to work, the former businessman who used to race motorbikes, began to live off his savings three years ago.

Mark fell into arrears during his illness but said he paid back about £10,000 from his savings to get on top of his mortgage.

But further unexpected prolonged periods of illness in 2017 set him back again.

It became a vicious cycle until in early this month, his bank repossessed his home and took him to court.

Mark’s business account has also been closed.

“The bank has robbed me of my income because they shut my business account,” Mark said. “I was so ill that repaying my mortgage was the last thing on my mind. I was trying to stay alive. I spoke to the bank and told them I was ill again but they would not give me a mortgage break. They said they would put my house up for sale.

“They have taken everything — my house, my dignity. No one came to my house. No one knocked on my door. There were no recorded letters.”

Mark had put an £80,000 deposit down on his house.

The brother-to-two said he comes from a small family, and was unable to live with his parents in Fleetwood, or his brother in America.

His firm, Gemini Entertainment Agency, which booked events and acts such as comedians and bands, is unable to operate without an account.

He said: “I have done well in life. I have saved and saved. But I had to sell everything in the past three years to live.”

Mark is currently signed off work for three months due to his poor health.

When he struggled to find help, Mark was signposted to the Unemployed Advice Centre in Deansgate from Bolton vulnerable adults, where he has since been volunteering.

Centre manager Denise Lonsdale said: “Mark has worked all his life.

“The bank is supposed to give a six-month payment holiday or claim it on benefits. But if you do not know any better, you do not claim because you do not know the system. No one would sell you a house, see you put an £80,000 deposit down, and close your business. I cannot understand why this has happened.”

Bolton Council has been able to secure Mark a place in bed and breakfast accommodation. Christian charity Urban Outreach Bolton has also found him long-term accommodation with a private landlord.