The former busker who found fame after striking up an extraordinary relationship with a stray cat and turning it into a best-selling memoir is now homeless, it can revealed.

James Bowen, 45,  was in the grips of heroin addiction and playing his guitar in Covent Garden when his touching story of a meeting with his beloved ginger cat Bob began.

Their unlikely union captured the hearts of millions with tourists and onlookers uploading videos of them to YouTube and they became something of a phenomenon.

James’ bond with Bob encouraged him to slowly withdraw his methadone and beat his heroin addiction – and their friendship was turned into hit book ‘A Street Cat Named Bob’ and a film.

James Bowen, 45, was in the grips of heroin addiction and playing his guitar in Covent Garden when his touching story of a meeting with his beloved ginger cat Bob began

The Princess of Wales greets Bob the cat and his owner James Bowen ‘A Street Cat Named Bob’ world film premiere, London in 2016

The musician’s transformation was complete when he met the Princess of Wales at the film’s premiere – and by 2016 he had saved enough money to purchase a three-bedroom detached bungalow in Carshalton, Surrey, for £560,000. 

But now he has revealed he is homeless again after being forced to sell the £500,000 home he had bought for him and his pet, who was killed after being hit by a car in 2020.

Speaking to the Sun, James revealed he now has a shih tzu called Chewbacca who protects him like Bob use to.

Shortly after losing his home, James was attacked, leaving him with a two black eyes, a broken nose and a fractured skull. 

‘It is devastating. Everything Bob and I achieved was stolen from us.

‘All the hard work I had done trying to sort my life out has gone down the pan. It’s back to square one,’ he told the newspaper. 

The musician’s transformation was complete when he met the Princess of Wales at the film’s premiere – and by 2016 he had saved enough money to purchase a three-bedroom detached bungalow in Carshalton, Surrey, for £560,000

When Bob died years ago and his writing work dried up, James says he could no longer afford to keep up with his monthly mortgage repayments.

Last year, speaking to MailOnline, he estimates that he has earned £1million in the last 11 years from book sales and film right, which has ‘all gone’.

James says he came to an arrangement with his mortgage lender some months ago to sell the property or he faced having it repossessed.

He revealed the almost £1m he earned in royalties hasn’t been spent on ‘living his life’ and puts his current misfortune down to others taking advantage because he was ill equipped to deal with so much money. ‘I have been screwed over by a lot of people’ he said.

‘When you have nothing then people see that and they can do what they want.

‘I was not very wise when it came to money and people took advantage of me.

‘I suppose I have earned close to £1m since 2102 but that has all gone and there is nothing left.

‘People have screwed me over because they knew I had nothing.

‘When the books were selling, I had an agent, accountant and publicist. They all took money, and while I may have earned £1m it was over almost 12 years.’

While he sold nine million books worldwide he estimated that he only earned between £200,00 -£250,000 from their sales.

He said the co-author of the books Garry Jenkins received half of the sale proceeds.

James said he was paid around £60,000 for the screen rights to his story – with the money used as a deposit on the new build bungalow, which he has called home for the last seven years.

While James sold nine million books worldwide he estimated that he only earned between £200,00 -£250,000 from their sales 

But after failing to pay the mortgage he is being made homeless after his mortgage provider successfully won eviction proceedings three months ago.

That house has now been sold to a private company for £500,000 – £35,000 less than he paid for the home in 2016.

Local estate agents have valued the property which is registered in his name and his accountant at over more than £600,000.

But with piles of rubbish stacked outside the front door and the driveway overgrown with weeds it is not the most attractive looking home.

The garden resembles a rubbish tip with a broken bike and discarded washing machine and overgrown with weeds.

James blamed the cost of living crisis and increasing interest rates for his problems and stopped his monthly payments some months ago, leading to eviction proceedings.

He said his mortgage repayments had gone from £1,800 a month to £2,800 a month while his income has dwindled to less than £10,000 a year.

He has until August 9 to move out, but admits he is so broke he doesn’t have the money needed to leave and pay a deposit to rent anywhere before a receives the proceeds from the private sale.

James readily admits he had an annual income of £100,000 at the height of his fame from sales of his books.

But with the death of Bob in 2020 which led to a re-lapse into taking heroin and no new books for five years his income has dried up.

James’ house has now been sold to a private company for £500,000 – £35,000 less than he paid for the home in 2016

James Bowman, who wrote the book A Street Cat Named Bob, with his dog Chewbacca at his home in Carshalton

He said: ‘I guess at the height of my fame I was earning between £50,000 and £100,000. Now it is more like £5,000.

‘The income I had from the books is just few hundred pounds every few months.

‘When Bob died three years ago my agent just dropped me, and I have not done anything since then. I have not written any other books.’

He said he is so hard up that he relies of food banks and waits for supermarkets to off load their out-of-date food.

‘I am just about surviving and there is no more money and all my savings has gone.

‘I still have the house, but that has been sold and when I have paid off the mortgage there will just about be enough to rent somewhere.

‘I can’t go to the council and say I’m homeless as I’ve got my dog and cat and will not be parted from them.

‘The house has been sold and once all the paperwork has been completed, I will get the money. The mortgage has to be paid off, its about £430,000 and the rest will help me rent somewhere.

‘Even though I’m in a bad position I want all the people who have supported me, my fans and those of Bob that I will not go back to taking drugs.

‘I am looking forward to moving on with my life. I don’t want to be homeless, so I am hoping something will turn up.’