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A mum pursued by debt collectors managed to clear £5,000 of debt in five years while earning £20,000.

Nicole Heeley, 35, abandoned her dream of becoming a teacher when she left university due to her "crushing" debt , which peaked at £10,000.

She found herself in financial difficulties while studying for a PGCE at Liverpool Hope University in September 2008, and her debt continued to mount over the next 13 years.

Nicole resorted to payday loans for train fares from Crewe to Liverpool after moving back in with her mum, Sue Parker, 66, and struggled to keep up with household bills. Her situation reached a crisis point in 2015, when bailiffs were phoning her "up to 12 times a day" and knocking on her door.

Mum-of-two Nicole, who is now a church volunteer, from Crewe, C

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