Multi-millionaire was so happy his wife survived cancer he gave away his entire £16million fortune to help other patients but then she left him because she was so fed up

• .Brian Burnie paid for wife Shirley's breast cancer treatment 
• .When she was given the all-clear, the 70-year-old set up charity 
• .Mr Burnie traded in their 10-acre estate for tiny rented home and savings
• .Shirley Burnie became fed up with how much husband had given away 
• .After a 30-year marriage the couple divorced in 2012 
• .Brian Burnie now lives alone above charity headquarters  

By JENNIFER SMITH FOR MAILONLINE

A multi-millionaire who gave away £16million to help cancer patients after his wife survived the disease has ended up losing his home, possessions and even his spouse. 

Brian Burnie, who owns a recruitment business, paid for his wife Shirley's treatment when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and became so inspired he devoted his life to helping other sufferers. 

But after selling the family home, cars and possessions, the couple have divorced as Mrs Burnie reveals she could no longer put up with her husband's generosity. 

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Shirley and Brian Burnie divorced in 2012 after the 70-year-old businessman sold their 10-acre estate (pictured) and all of their belongings when his wife was given the all-clear from breast cancer 

Speaking for the first time since their 2012 split, Mrs Burnie told the Sunday Mirror: 'I didn't want to give everything away. 

'I wanted security for us and our family.' 

 

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While her husband had always been generous - he asked guests at their wedding to donate to a leukemia charity rather than give them presents - his urge to give back became overwhelming when Mrs Burnie was given the all-clear. 

After selling their 10-acre estate, the couple moved into a rented house opposite a council estate in Morpeth, Northumberland in 2010. 

Mr Burnie, who has owned petro-chemical and recruitment businesses, traded in his luxury car for a Ford Fiesta, and revelled in the idyllic notion of a simple life. 

At the time his wife fondly described his 'madness', but his unrelenting devotion to the charity began to drive a wedge between them. 

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Mrs Burnie said she became fed up with her husband caring more about the charity than their financial security. The 70-year-old now lives alone in a flat above the charity's headquarters 

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In 2010 the couple moved into this house in Morpeth, Northumberland, after selling their luxury home

But when Mrs Burnie learned he had bought a house without telling her, she assumed her 70-year-old husband was preparing for divorce. 

However when she learned the property had in fact been bought for Mr Burnie's charity - Daft As A Brush - she was pushed to confront the issue. 

'I didn't intend to have to beat cancer and then spend the rest of my life living in a house like this and doing everything for everyone else. 

'I'm sick of bloody charity and the hard work - we all are.' 

'I felt he had put me in a position where we had to end the marriage.' 

While Mr Burnie regrets buying the house, he would make no changes to the way he gives so generously. 

Living alone in a flat above his charity, he said: 'We acquired the life-style, we lived very well, but nothing gave me as much pleasure as giving it all away.'