British boyband star Duncan James has opened up about his money woes after filing for bankruptcy last month (Sep13), admitting he was heartbroken after having to sell his mum's house to get by.

The singer, who filed bankruptcy paperwork in a London court on 12 September (13), insists he was left broke after losing the fortune he invested in property for his mum, ex-girlfriend Claire Grainger and their daughter Tianie-Finn.

He tells Britain's Sun on Sunday, "I bought a house for my mum, I bought a house for my ex-partner and my daughter and I spent about £1 million on my home. I've always wanted to give my loved ones roofs over their heads and make sure they were taken care of, so that's what I did. Unfortunately - and I was far from the only person hit by it - the property crash came and I lost a lot of money. And now I've had to sell the home I bought for my mum. And that's been the most heartbreaking part for me. I so wanted to take care of her. But now she's living in rented accommodation and I do my best to help her with it, but I can't like I used to."

However, James is determined to get back in control of his finances as he heads out on tour with his Blue bandmates this month (Oct13).

He adds, "In some strange way, it's actually a relief to have been declared bankrupt. It means I can start again. Before I went bankrupt, I had been trying to pay off loans for years and felt as if I was a hamster in a wheel in a test tube with water slowly being poured inside. I felt like I kept going and going and trying and trying, but water kept coming in and I was drowning. At least now I've got a chance to start again."