My mouldy flat caused daily asthma attacks – I had to teach my kids to call 999

I truly thank God that I am still alive, because there were days during lockdown where I felt like I was dying (Picture: Monique Staff)

Sitting on the bed of a local hotel at the end of last year, I did something I hadn’t done in years – breathed freely.

After more than a decade living in a London flat caked in thick, black mould, I’d almost forgotten the feeling of taking a deep breath and my lungs fully expanding.

I had reached the stage where I’d lost control of my asthma...