Hi and welcome. After spending thirty years running my own catering business I got caught up in the economic mess of the 1990's, when interest rates soared to 15% and banks were more interested in foreclosure than helping small businessmen like me. So I know what struggling is, believe me. I survived for the next ten years, but only just. Eventually I sold out and did not want to retire at that stage. I went back to college and did several City and Guilds computer courses based around MS Office and also a two stage Adult teaching course and worked for a training company until they went bust two years later (just my luck). Oddly enough I had been taking pictures for a good few decades and it never even occurred to me to do it professionally.
I live on a beautiful holiday Island and you would think there was an opening for a photographic business, but the reality is that several have opened their doors to the public and many of them have closed up within a year. My conclusion is that photography isn't an easy road to riches. It sounds very nice, and even romantic, but the truth is it is a dog-eat-dog industry (just like the catering trade). So where does that leave you at the age of 43? Well I guess you will still have responsibilities to your ex and any children you may have had together, so you will need a regular income. My take would be to ensure that I had a regular income above all else and then try to build a photography career around that and see where it leads. It will be hard, no doubt, but good luck.
