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TikTok travel influencer left housebound by illness

Family handout/PA Real Life Terry Hill lying in a hospital bed Family handout/PA Real Life
Mr Hill said he was "having the time of my life" but now can't pay his bills

A globetrotting grandfather with about 100,000 social media followers said he is unable to face his audience after a debilitating condition left him unable to walk.

Terry Hill, 59, from Doncaster, was a roofer for more than 30 years, but found TikTok fame after a video of him surprising his family in Crete went viral.

As a result, he was inspired to travel the world, visiting countries such as Poland, Egypt and Thailand while creating content for his followers.

However, Mr Hill, who is nicknamed "Donny Knight", then began to notice he was losing feeling in his feet, a condition possibly linked to smoking and caused by blocked arteries in his groin.

Family handout/PA Real Life Terry Hill standing next to a swimming pool Family handout/PA Real Life
Mr Hill travelled the world while creating social media content for his followers

He quit smoking and had seven stents put into his arteries to open them, bringing feeling back to his legs.

After the operation, he continued travelling, and by January, his videos had been seen more than 70 million times on TikTok.

"I had the time of my life," he told PA Real Life. "It was like I was famous. I will always remember it and I'll be telling my kids and grandkids about it for the rest of my days."

However in January he was playing with his 12-year-old son in the snow when he realised he could not feel his feet, even when he touched a hot radiator.

Three weeks later, he underwent aorto-bifemoral bypass surgery at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, which replaced his blocked arteries with artificial tubes.

"If I hadn't had it, I would have died," he said.

Family handout/PA Real Life Terry Hill on a horse while on holiday in Egypt Family handout/PA Real Life
The roofer visited countries such as Poland, Egypt and Thailand

Although the operation cleared his arteries, the side-effects left him unable to walk and he has barely left the house since.

"I've gone from having the time of my life to not being able to pay my bills," he said.

Unable to work as a roofer, and with little income from TikTok, he has been left with an unpaid mortgage and bills.

He said: "I can't face my followers because I can't give them what they want. It's devastating and there's nothing I can do.

"For someone who loves travelling, it's heartbreaking. I hate it, I feel so down," he added.

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