A Wiltshire man who was told he wouldn’t see his 50th birthday after a stress related stroke has turned his life around.

Eric Couturier, now 54, suffered a stroke aged 47 after being “squeezed all the time” by work-related stress.

The Chippenham local, who worked in middle management, was told by his consultant on the stroke ward that he would not make it to 50 if he did not change his attitude.

“I was very successful but overworked and not switching off because I was a perfectionist, and it was too much… I was being pulled left, right and centre”, he recalled.

“I had a stroke, and it was because I was over-stressed with work, I didn’t sleep and I didn’t stop for a second, I didn’t have balance and it was not a happy place.

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald: Eric CouturierEric Couturier (Image: Richard Forsyth)

“The doctor told me I was too young to be in a stroke ward and I had to make choices because next time I would not be so lucky.

“I’ve got two boys, so I decided I had to do something. I changed my mind set and my approach to life, I had to undo 30 years of mind set and rewire my brain.”

Men aged 40 to 49 have the highest suicide rates in the UK, and Mr Couturier believes this is because many are stressed, have low levels of life satisfaction and do not talk to one another about their problems.

Now he has begun working as a coach and mentor, and has started a service to help other men change their mindset in a positive way.

He added: “There is something really broken today in the minds of a great many middle-aged men, in particular.

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald: Eric Couturier.Eric Couturier. (Image: Richard Forsyth)

“They are depressed, they are burnt out and they can’t recognise or admit their challenges or move past mental barriers.

“Men often have unhealthy behaviours to cope and frequently, the problems are hidden in their minds… they don’t talk, and they bottle it up.

“I have created a programme called Mind & Habits that will help men recognise the root of their problems and overcome them, so they develop a positive mindset.”

Mr Couturier hopes this programme will help others find happiness by encouraging them to “achieve their dreams” rather than live to exist “like a hamster on a wheel".