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Sue’s hoarding problem was a mask for something deeper in her life(Image: Rowan Griffiths \/ Daily Mirror)<\/p>\nRecovering hoarder Sue James shares her story with new in a bid to help others secretly suffering from the mental health issue<\/p>\n
08:00, 03 Aug 2025Updated 08:44, 04 Aug 2025<\/p>\n
Sue’s hoarding problem was a mask for something deeper in her life(Image: Rowan Griffiths \/ Daily Mirror)<\/p>\n
Books and toys piled high, shopping still in grocery bags and brand new clothes collecting dust; a narrow pathway through each room and barely space to open a curtain \u2013 this was the home of a hoarder<\/a>. Sue James, 57, from Birmingham, describes her house as \u201cwhat hell looked like\u201d before she sought help but now after decades of accumulating \u201cstuff\u201d<\/a>, the reformed hoarder opens up about living with the hidden mental health issue.<\/p>\n “I was a hoarder for nearly 40 years and I firmly believe it originated from my traumatic childhood<\/a>. I had few toys of my own or real possessions to cherish and so when I finally left home at 18 I went shopping.<\/p>\n READ MORE: ‘Octomom’ now from ‘most hated mum’ to porn, bankruptcy and welfare fraud<\/a><\/p>\n I bought myself clothes and things for my house and from that day I said, ‘Right, this is mine. I bought this for myself brand new. No one can make me share it or give it away.’ That\u2019s how my hoarding journey started \u2013 I\u2019d had nothing that was purely mine before then and so I didn\u2019t want to let anything go.<\/p>\n I was heavily pregnant<\/a> when I split up with my first husband and my second husband had his own mental health struggles. I went on to be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS)<\/a> in my mid-twenties, which added to the stresses and strains of my life. When my house was at its worst, it was filled to the brim with random things piled high, almost to the ceiling. I would buy shopping and didn\u2019t even take it out of the bags.<\/p>\n There was nowhere to put anything in any cupboards so I would just walk into the house with my shopping and put the bag down. I\u2019d just get groceries out of the bags as needed.<\/p>\n There was probably a foot of room either side of my bed, while on the sofa of my lounge I would have to keep moving things around to sit down. There would be avalanches of stuff every time I tried to rest.<\/p>\n I did have little walkways throughout the house so I could access every room but I might not necessarily be able to get to the windows in these rooms to open them, or to close the curtains.<\/p>\n I had fire service safety checks and they would say to me, \u201cWell, you can move around in the house but you know that there are safety risks. Things could fall on you or you could trip on things.\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019d already spent my life falling over nothing \u2013 when I was diagnosed with MS my neurologist looked back over my medical history and realised my symptoms had started when I was aged eight or nine. I\u2019ve broken my left wrist 28 times and my right wrist twice, I\u2019ve broken my ankle in five places and every finger and toe.<\/p>\n So the state of my home was even more dangerous given my disability.<\/p>\n No one knew<\/strong><\/p>\n Cleanliness was never an issue when it comes to my hoarding, my bathroom and toilet were the only two rooms that weren\u2019t \u201choarded\u201d and I was always clean and presentable when I left the house.<\/p>\n I never had a problem throwing away rubbish or recycling either \u2013 a crisp packet would always go straight into the bin. When it came to my hoarding, it was about things that had an intrinsic value, whether monetary or sentimental.<\/p>\n Books have been a huge issue when it comes to hoarding because their importance was drilled into me as a child. The knowledge you can obtain from books is valuable so I struggle to let them go. No one knew I was a hoarder \u2013 I wouldn\u2019t let anybody into the house, visitors were a complete no-no. At first I was happy, with my shiny new possessions no one could take away from me.<\/p>\n I moved several times over the years and each time my home got a little bit bigger, meaning I had more space to keep stuff in.<\/p>\n But I came to realise my kids shouldn\u2019t have to live in that situation \u2013 it\u2019s no surprise my younger son is a minimalist now he\u2019s grown-up and he\u2019s been so encouraging in my recovery.<\/p>\n So about five years ago I decided to knuckle down and face up to my hoarding \u2013 I thought, \u201cI\u2019ve got to do something about this.\u201d It was Christmas<\/a> 2019 when I reached rock bottom. My electricity went off and I went round the house trying to access the plug sockets to unplug items, with great difficulty. I wanted to see if I could flip the switch on the fuse board to get the electric back on by doing this and I couldn\u2019t, so it was just my dog and I in the dark for days.<\/p>\n![\"Real](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1_JS374904790.jpg\")
Sue\u2019s cupboards were piled high with shopping<\/p>\n![\"Real](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1_JS374904768.jpg\")
The bags of shopping and ‘stuff’ were out of hand<\/p>\n![\"Real](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0_RGP_MDM_090725James_013.jpg\")
Sue got help to tackle her hoarding issues(Image: Rowan Griffiths \/ Daily Mirror)<\/p>\n
![\"Real](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0_RGP_MDM_090725James_03.jpg\")
She now has clear space in her kitchen after seeking help(Image: Rowan Griffiths \/ Daily Mirror)<\/p>\n