'My brother died, so I smashed up his TV'

When Ellie Goudie's brother Ryan died aged 23, she could not bear the thought of anyone else having his belongings.

Instead, she paid to smash them to pieces.

Armed with a baseball bat in a Swindon rage room, Ellie destroyed some of the possessions Ryan had left behind, including his beloved television, saying it helped her cope with the pain of losing him.

"That was his. He can't have it any more, so no one should," she said.

For Ellie, the experience was about far more than breaking objects.

"I felt Ryan in here. He probably was doing it with me," she said. "I'm glad I've done it for him."

Ellie is one of a growing number of women turning to rage rooms, where customers pay to destroy household items with baseball bats and crowbars in a controlled environment.

Operators say many visitors are seeking an emotional release during some of the most difficult periods of their lives, including bereavement, trauma, relationship breakdowns and stress.

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