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Hear one person’s experience of getting debt help

Video by StepChange Debt Charity · 3:00

A video is general information. Free debt advice and the fees for a debt solution are different things.

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What this helps you understand

Alannah, a young mother filmed in Scotland, tells her own story of falling into debt. She was diagnosed with Crohn's disease at 17. Hospital stays and energy bills, then her benefits stopping after her partner moved in, left her thousands of pounds in debt, and she used a 24% APR credit card to buy food. For a long time she ignored letters and calls. On a friend's tip she went to StepChange, was recommended a Debt Management Plan that put priority debts first, became pregnant a few months in, and went on to clear her debts. Her message is to get advice early rather than burying your head in the sand.

  • This is one person's experience, not advice. Her outcome may not be typical.
  • It mentions long-term illness, surgery and benefits, and shows her baby and family.
  • Filmed in Scotland. Debt options there are partly different from England and Wales.

Keep this in mind

A video is general information. Free debt advice and the fees for a debt solution are different things. A video does not assess your circumstances or choose a debt solution for you.

Read our current written guide. You can use it without loading YouTube.

Source and review details

Original video title: 'I was in thousands of pounds worth of debt' - How StepChange helped me

Published by StepChange Debt Charity. Official source.

Uploaded 2024-05-14; content reviewed 2026-10-26; availability checked 2026-11-02. These dates describe different checks.