A self-made businessman has vowed to help homeless people in Bradford after sleeping rough in London as part of a television documentary about living on the streets.

Darren Stanley, 39, spent ten days experiencing the reality of life for a homeless person for the BBC programme Filthy Rich and Homeless.

In the riches-to-rags documentary, Mr Stanley was stripped of his creature comforts and given second-hand clothes and a sleeping bag.

On the first night of the programme, which was filmed in February when temperatures dipped to minus five, the father-of-two admitted he hit breaking point.

He said: "I only had 46 minutes' sleep. I had been stripped of all my possessions, my money, mobile and watch. I had nothing.

"Above all I missed my children Tom, nine, and Lucas, seven."

Followed by a camera crew and with a bodyguard for protection, Mr Stanley walked the streets of London, trying to find food and shelter.

During filming he is shown saying: "It's worse than hell, it's cold, it's degrading, it's embarrassing. I can't look at anyone, I can't look anyone in the eye. I feel like I want to quit, I just want to go home."

Today he said: "The second night was better, because I started to speak to other homeless people, who were really helpful and gave me advice on keeping warm using newspaper as insulation, how to make a bed out of cardboard and information on where to get soup."

Mr Stanley lives what he describes as a comfortable life in Saltaire, where he runs an events company called The Events and works freelance for the drinks business, Drinks.co.uk, which he sold two years ago.

His experience had taught him a lot about homeless people, he said.

"Being on the street made me realise how difficult it is for people. I found out lots of things about homeless people, like they can't get a job because they haven't got identification or a fixed abode.

"It's a Catch 22 situation. You can see why people fall into drugs, alcoholism or prostitution.

"If I can do anything to help homeless people in Bradford, I will."

Mr Stanley, who grew up in Heaton, was approached to appear in the programme by the BBC after being involved in Ready Steady Cook and The Coach.

He said: "If I see someone begging on the street I will now give someone 50p because I know that will be two cups of tea."

Filthy Rich and Homeless follows four other rich and privileged people including Clementine, a 21-year-old student who is the daughter of ITV newsreader Alastair Stewart, London-based Ravi Gehlot, 24, one of Britain's youngest millionaires, Thomas Kerfoot, 21, a student and heir to a cooking oil empire in Yorkshire, and Charles Murray, 19, heir to a 1,000-acre farm.

The first in the four-part series is repeated on BBC3 on Sunday at 10pm. The programme continues on BBC3 on Tuesdays at 9pm.

e-mail: ali.davies@bradford.newsquest.co.uk

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