Gail Porter Breaks Down In Tears During Emotional ‘Loose Women’ Interview As She Discusses Sleeping Rough

Gail Porter has given an emotional interview on ‘Loose Women’ where she discussed how she was forced to sleep rough after becoming homeless.

The former TV presenter broke down in tears as she opened up about how mounting debts resulted in her declaring herself bankrupt.

The 45-year-old revealed her money troubles started after she was sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

She said: “That was about six years ago and that was the start of it because you can’t pay your bills because a doctor is looking after you.

“I didn’t open the bills, I just put them away. I’d had a breakdown, I’d lost my mum… so I put them under a pillow.”

She added: “If kids at home are watching, that is not a good idea.”

She continued: “It piles up really, really quickly, my problem was I ran away from everything and it gets really worse.

“I don’t have a huge amount of bills and I did enough that I couldn’t pay.

She also revealed to panelists Christine Bleakley, Ann Diamond, Nadia Sawalha and Stacey Solomon that at one point she was so destitute she was forced to sleep on a bench in London’s Hampstead Heath.

“I had to make my bed on a park bench,” she said. “it was ages and ages ago, I couldn’t afford anything, I slept on a bench in Hampstead Heath.”

Stacey told her: “We all have hard times and we’re not always on top of everything. There’s nothing to be ashamed off.”

Gail’s appearance on the ITV daytime show on Monday (30 January) comes after she gave a revealing interview to The Sun, revealing she feared for her life whilst sleeping rough.

She told the newspaper: “I was on a bench on Hampstead Heath with a rug and rucksack. It was cold and terrifying. I covered my face so no one could see me.

“Those were the scariest nights of my life. There were lots of terrifying noises. I had no idea what they were. I was freezing and I didn’t know who was coming for me. I barely slept a wink. I was scared of being killed or raped.”

While the ex-model is now renting a modest one-bedroom flat in London, she recently declared herself bankrupt, owing “a six-figure sum” in tax arrears.

As a result, Gail is living off just £200 a week having struggled to find TV work, which she blames on losing her hair to alopecia in 2005.

• To report a rough sleeper call 0300 500 0914 or visit Streetlink