Five years, £750,000 and a single bin bag full of clothes later, a man who lost everything through a gambling addiction has put his life back on track - and now will swim the channel for charity.

Justyn Larcombe’s addiction started with an innocent £5 bet on a rugby match in 2009, but ended up ruining his life.

In the space of three years, the Tunbridge Wells man had gambled away nearly £1m including his life savings, the equity on his house and a £100,000 investment entrusted to him by his wife, Emma.

The 44-year-old, former army major, hit his lowest point in 2012 after having to move back into his Mum’s house in Tonbridge with a bin bag of clothes, after he was evicted from his home.

He said: “Everyone has their own rock bottom, and that was most definitely it for me.”

After selling his wife’s jewellery, his son’s christening silver and making his single biggest loss of £17,000 on a tennis match, Justyn was left with nothing and finally admitted to himself and his family that he had a problem.

Justyn also sold his Sword of Honour that he had been awarded at Sandhurst in April 1991.

He added: “It was absolutely humiliating admitting to my family that I was a gambling addict, but you can’t start recovery until you come to terms with it.

"The gambling anonymous meetings in Maidstone were a big stepping stone in my journey and I think without them I don't think I'd be where I am today.”

Justyn has now paid off all his debts and is back living with Emma and their two sons, Matthew, six, and Oscar, four, in Upper Green Road, Shipbourne.

He said: “I never thought my wife would take me back. We had both signed the divorce papers, but in April she got in touch and I can’t explain my gratitude, we still have a long way to go to try and get back to normal though.

"Forgiveness is something you give, trust is something you earn - but we’re working on it."

Justyn will be swimming the Channel on Tuesday August 19 in aid of Hemi-Help which aids people with hemiplegia, a paralysis condition his son Matthew has.

He said: “I've come so far in the past few years and I just want to show people there is hope. I have taken so much from people in the past so I really want to give back whatever I can.

"Swimming really helped me, I had no self esteem when everything was at its worst."

The proud dad is now a consultant in insurance and runs a freelance educational consultancy business. He has also become the chairman of a newly formed charity, Rethink Gambling, based in Hadlow.

He added: “There are too manypeople affected by this problem, and there are far too many adverts on TV.

"I’m only one tiny voice, but I want to protect other people and try to make sure they don't have to take the long journey I did to make a change.”

"Forgiveness is something you give, trust is something you earn - but we’re working on it” - Justyn Larcombe

Justyn lobbied in the Houses of Parliment for a system allowing online gamblers to make a single click which will block them from an additional 2,500 gambling sites, which has now successfully been put in place.

He said: "If this one click exclusion had been in place when I started gambling, I may not have lost everything I care about."

The book of his story and journey to recovery, ‘Tails I Lost’ is now on sale. He added: "I don't want people to think I'm anti-gambling, because I'm not.

"But I really hope the book helps other people who may be in the same dreadful position I was."

His wife Emma has seen a enormous change in her husband since he started recovery, she said: "I think he is doing so much for so many people and it really is admirable.

"He is definitely a different person to the one I married, he has changed a lot. I think he is using everything inside him now to help other people."