A local man insists he has nothing to complain about despite the fact his life is falling apart, according to his friends.

The man, Steve Banks, has gone through a torrid two month spell in which his mother has died, his wife left him, and he was let got by his employer – yet when anyone asks him how he’s doing he says he ‘can’t complain’. And now his friends are worried about him.

‘He’s had so much shit fall on him recently but he won’t talk about it with anyone. You ask him how he’s doing and he just says he “can’t complain” or “mustn’t grumble”. I’m worried that he’s going to snap and go ballistic any day now,’ said friend Mike Grable.

His father seems unconcerned though: ‘I raised my boy to be a man. Men keep their head down, get on with it and drink away their worries. Then they kill themselves or die of a stress-related heart attack. That’s how a man should live and die. That’s what my dad taught me and that’s what I taught my boy.’

For his part Steve insists his lack of complaints are actually genuine: ‘My mum dying sucked but she was knocking on and it was expected. My wife was a constant nag and I’m glad to be rid of her. And my job was low pay for hard work, I’ll be glad of the break.’

It seems like life really is what you make of it.