Tails I Lose

Justyn Rees Larcombe had it all. Around his beautiful home were the mementoes of success - the Sword of Honour awarded by the Queen when he left Sandhurst; the silver photo frames with the pictures of his much loved wife and family; the rooms full of the rewards of a City career.

But Justyn had a parallel life: he gambled.

Gradually he allowed it to take over everything, getting through a staggering three quarters of a million pounds - some his own money, some his wife''s, and some belonging to the company he worked for. The crunch came: he lost his job; his wife left him, taking his sons; and anything that could be sold was - and then gambled away again. One day, he had no alternative but to go back to his mother''s home and start again.

Today Justyn has a high profile in the media, talking about the dangers of gambling and helping others coping with gambling addiction.