I was a millionaire living the high life in California – now I’m on Universal Credit & can barely afford the chippy

AN ex millionaire has told how he went from living a life of "wine and sun" in California to living on Universal Credit in Harrogate.

Paul Thistlewhite, who was born in Yorkshire and is in his 60s, spent 40 years living the high-life in Santa Barbara, with his luxurious lifestyle funded by his very successful sign-making company.

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He admits that at one time, he was the "guy to go to," won awards and has his work scattered throughout Santa Barbara.

But fast forward to now, and the ex-millionaire is living on Universal Credit in Harrogate and classes a trip to his local chippy as a treat.

“It was a great life, I had a beautiful home, I had a cabin by the lake, a membership to the yacht club – truly all the benefits and trappings of making money," he recalls, speaking to .

“I was a millionaire.”

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But after years of hard graft to get where he was and with a whole team of staff behind him, Paul decided to retire aged 55 and sell the business.

He initially moved to Costa Rica, before moving to Spain in the hope his money would last longer, only, with an lavish lifestyle and "beautiful" apartment, he soon found it had started running out.

Paul admits he didn't budget and wouldn't think twice about splashing the cash on anything he wanted.

When he got down to his last few thousand, Paul moved back to the UK and started looking for work elsewhere - and signed onto Universal Credit.

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Now, he receives £320 a month but says this has been sanctioned in the past, which has resulted in withheld payments.

“By the time you take off rent, gas, electricity, water and Council Tax, there’s just a few pounds a day left – barely a cup of coffee," he says.

Paul, who believes he "would be dead" without the help from Universal Credit, also receives food parcels from his local church which works with the charity Church Action on Poverty.

"It’s embarrassing, I feel like a second class citizen," he says.

“It’s humbled me in a sense, but still, it’s degrading. Having to go to the soup kitchen, having hand-outs.

"A luxury night out for me is going to a fish and chip shop. I haven’t been to a restaurant or pub for months."