Christopher Gowers watched helplessly as his wife Ruth died suddenly and without warning at their home in Oxford.

Practicality took over and he fought to control his grief.

But three years later, Mr Gowers’ behaviour suddenly spiralled out of control as the ‘buried’ trauma of his wife’s death resurfaced.

Unbeknown to him, Mr Gowers, from Wolvercote, Oxford, was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) – a condition most of us associate with war veterans.

Flashbacks and bizarre behaviour led to him losing his job as a tutor and his home.

But it was nine agonising years before an expert spotted the signs of PTSD and Mr Gowers began to rebuild his life.

His ‘salvation’ was a combination of medical help and walking – retracing his steps to the Oxford landmarks he had visited in happier times.

Now aged 63, Mr Gowers is finally able to talk about the day that changed his life and ploughing his energies into helping others discover the healing aspects of walking.

He said: “It has taken many years to reach this stage, where I can talk about the trauma. But the first step was finding someone who knew what was wrong and could help me.

“Walking then came out of necessity really – I had no money, so no transport and no choice! But rediscovering the city’s green spaces would become my greatest healer.”

Mr Gowers described how his wife, who was 51, died: “I was in the bathroom shaving when she shouted out to me to get help. That was the last thing she said.”

He was taken to St Aldate’s Police Station and questioned.

She had died from a pulmonary embolism; a blood clot in her leg. He was widowed at the age of 50 in February 1998.

Mr Gowers said he became estranged from his family. He also lost his home in Wolvercote for a time because he found it impossible to sort out his wife’s estate. He now lives there again.

He continued: “I went back to teaching after the funeral and tried to continue as before, but I was like a robot.

“I left Oxford, but was plagued by flashbacks. I stopped driving after a series of accidents.”

After walking out of another job he joined a college in Berkshire, which “helped save my life.”

Staff realised there was something wrong and he was seen by a doctor who was a former RAF medical officer used to dealing with trauma.

He said: “A consultant psychiatrist took about 15 minutes to diagnose PTSD. That was in January 2006, eight years after my wife died.

“It turned out that I had been mentally “locked inside” that police station for all those years, unable to move on.

“I had been walking more up to the time my treatment started and I then stepped it up as I realised what a positive effect it was having. As well as returning to places I had visited with Ruth, I explored places I hadn’t been to in Oxford. I found shortcuts, green areas I didn’t know existed. Walking meant using my eyes and really breathing. And spiritually I felt elated.”

He still receives regular therapy and walks every day and is now spearheading the Green Lungs Project, with the Council for the Protection of Rural England, which will map the 435 green spaces within Oxford and encourage others to get out and explore the ‘green corridors’ of the city.

He continued: “I am still in shock but my experiences have taught me many things. I feel I have met myself, returning from hell.

“My life is now moving forward.”