A former smoker says shock tactics helped him give up for good.

  David Kilshaw, from Finsbury Park, had no intentions of stopping before he was referred to a psychologist at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead.

  The 67-year-old is speaking out as part of Stoptober, a campaign run by the NHS to get people to kick the habit.

  Mr Kilshaw, who suffered from breathing problems because of his smoking, said: “I have smoked since I was 14 and had this grand idea of smoking right up until the end. I thought I would die with a brandy in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

  “They pointed out that I wouldn’t be able to do all the things I wanted to do in my retirement.

“I had all these travelling plans in place and I wasn’t going to be able to do any of it if I was stuck in a wheelchair attached to an oxygen tank.

  “They took photos of me in a wheelchair with tubes and a tank and used Photoshop to make me look a bit more grey and thin. That really hit home. Every time I looked at that photo I was reminded why I was quitting.”

  David, a retired nurse, said he would occasionally stop smoking in order to relieve his symptoms. However, once he was able to breathe properly he would start again.

  Talking about his psychologist, Christianna Kyriacou, he said: “She found the right reason for me to quit smoking. It wasn’t about saving money or anything like that; it was about me not being able to do all the things I wanted to do.”

  With the proper incentive, David by using anti-nicotine medication and providing advice and moral support.

  “She was also just someone I could talk to. When I got the urge to smoke, even if it was only for a few seconds, I would send a text and get a few words of support. Sometimes it’s just about having someone telling you how well you’re doing and not to give up,” he said.