A Croydon man made £600 from auctioning off his clutter as part of new TV show, Gutted.

John Ellis, a civil servant, is a self-confessed hoarder who has more than 200 Empire magazines and drives his wife mad.

The show, hosted by Mark Durden-Smith, stored away all Mr Ellis’ worldly possessions in a van awaiting immediate auction.

He had to correctly answer specific questions about his belongings to win them all back.

The father of four said: “There was scary moment when I almost lost my daughter’s goldfish, which she would have killed me for.”

However, he managed to save his collection of more than 200 Empire magazines and 400 DVDs – a collection that spans more than 10 years.

He said: “I managed to pull out the things of real sentimental value.”

Forty-seven lots went up for auction and Mr Ellis had to decide whether to keep the money or have his goods returned to him.

He decided to keep the money and put it towards a family holiday.

“It was harder than I thought.

I didn’t realise the emotional attachment I had to my clutter,” he said.

Among the items lost to the auction was half his CD collection, a bookcase and some Star Trek memorabilia.

Mr Ellis said although it was a surreal experience he was glad that he went through the process.

He said: “It’s brought me and my wife closer together and it’s given me a better appreciation for the true value of things.”

The TV company put the family up in a hotel overnight to prepare the house and research the possessions, but Mr Ellis said the children enjoyed the experience.

Mr Ellis relished the extra space afforded to him and his children and said: “I’ve embraced the ethos of the show and there’s definitely less clutter in the house.”

He said when the show’s producers did a follow-up visit they were really impressed with the transformation of the house.

You can see Mr Ellis’ conversion on the newly-launched Home channel at 10pm on May 4.

• What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below.