'We lost our house and fell into £70k debt - now we're earning £10k a month and live mortgage-free'

A couple who lost their house and fell into £70,000 worth of debt are now living mortgage-free after getting their lives back on track. Cathy Magee, 61, and her husband Ivan, 65 fell behind on their mortgage payments after Ivan suffered three heart attacks in one week and had to stop working to recover.

Eventually, the pair ended up losing their home and had to move into a rented property whilst riddled with debt. In a bid to make up for her husband's loss of income, Cathy decided to become a full-time Avon representative.

Fast forward five years and the couple now run their own Avon business with a combined income of £10,000 a month. By 2012, the pair were able to pay off their debts and, in 2022, they bought their current house mortgage-free.

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Grandmother of five, Cathy, told PA Real Life: "I think it's really, really important in life that no matter how well you do, you always remember where you came from, and who helped you get to where you are.

"It's one of the biggest privileges of this job to be able to share my story of where I've come from and let people see that it is achievable to get out of it.

"Women are also a big part of the business we have women wanting to pay for their electric bill or days out with their children joining us all the time, just to have a bit of extra money or work full-time. It's amazing giving back and I'm so proud."

Around 30 years ago, Cathy was a single mother with three children and began dating a man who, over time, became physically and mentally abusive.

When he moved in with her, Cathy discovered the "extent of his drinking habit" and he gradually started to become more and more controlling. "It's