Patrick, 21, left his six-bedroom mansion in Hertfordshire to live on the breadline with a mum on benefits
A RICH kid was given a shock to the system after he left his luxurious six-bedroom mansion in Hertfordshire to stay in a council house in Salford with a struggling mum.
Only child to wealthy parents, Patrick, 21, grew up around manicured lawns, football pitches, his own huge treehouse and Rolex watches.
Despite being fresh out of Oxford Brookes uni, Patrick drives flash cars like Audis and Mercedes, lives in a flat in Fulham, and has a wardrobe full of £1,000 shoes, and designer items.
Speaking on 5Star show Rich Kids Go Skint, Patrick admitted: “What can I say? I like nice things. Cars, watches, things like that.”
He even said that among his “circles”, he is actually pretty average, despite holidaying in exotic locations around five or six times a year and eating out in restaurants most nights – with bills in the hundreds each time.
So how will this well-heeled Rich Kid fare when living with cash-strapped single mum Katrina in Manchester, who lives off a food budget of £30 a week?
Patrick was tasked with doing the weekly shop for Katrina, who is on benefits, and her son Jackson.
Armed with his £30, the pampered guy heads to Tesco, where he finds it a struggle to make the pounds stretch.
Speaking on the phone to his friend on holiday in the Maldives, Patrick says: “I mean, £30! That’s a carpaccio starter.”
Setting foot in Katrina’s tiny council home proved eye-opening for Patrick, and he admitted it was a far-cry from his spacious mansion.
He says: “The houses were on top of one another. I was used to greenery, space. I’d never seen anything like it.
“I felt safe enough when I was inside the house, but it’s not the sort of place I’d want to walk around on my own at night.”
He was shocked to find the family have no dining room table, and eat off their laps and can’t afford basics like ketchup.
Patrick admitted that his mum cooks three meals a day for him at home –usually salmon and steak – and he was surprised at the portion he was given for dinner.
With Katrina he was served two mini chicken Kiev balls from the freezer and a small portion of chips, and admitted that he was left hungry.
He said: “The food was the biggest shock. I eat a lot. And I eat for pleasure. For Katrina and her son, it’s more functional. They didn’t have nice things. There were no extras. They didn’t even have ketchup.”
Next, the contrasting pair headed to a food bank, where struggling families can pay a few pounds each week to stock up their cupboards on donated food worth around £15.
Well-fed Patrick didn’t know such places existed, and said: “Not in this country, no. I mean, you hear of people in Africa not having enough food, but not here.”
On the other end of spectrum, Katrina can’t begin to imagine what it must be like to have watch worth thousands, when she has just two costing around £3 each.
Looking at the extravagant Rolex on Patrick’s wrist, she says: “I think even if I won the lottery I wouldn’t buy one of those.”
Going abroad on holiday is not a possibility for Katrina, who lives off £500 a month – and who treats her son to go to the trampoline park once a month as a luxury, often skipping bills to make it a reality.
Patrick is surprised when he learns that Katrina grew up in care and couldn’t read or write until he was around 18 and even served a prison sentence (the crime isn’t specified).
After spending the night on the couch, Patrick reflects that the experience has definitely opened his eyes to how the other half live.
He said: “The whole point of doing it was to give me an idea of what life is like in the real world, and it was certainly a lesson there. I came out with such admiration for Katrina.
“She didn’t have anyone to help her – my mum and dad have always been there – and she’s had a really tough time. I suppose it just made me grateful for what I’ve had.”
Determined to help Katrina, he generously gives five free passes to the trampoline they visited during his stay.
Patrick now works for his dad, who runs a hair thickening lotion company and a property development business, and insists he wants to buy a place “with his own money”.
He even has a new appreciation for his Rolex watch, and looking down at it says: “I do look at it and think ‘for what I paid for this I could feed myself for a year.’”
And while he’ll likely never have to struggle like Katrina, he now thinks he would be better position if given the chance.
He concluded: “I think if you have to you have to. I’d certainly be better equipped to do it now than I was before.”
Rich Kids Go Skint returns to 5STAR on Monday October 8 at 9pm
Previously we shared how Rich Kids Go Skint vlogger, 16, struggles to make a ham sandwich for lunch… and moans he’s usually given £50-a-day to spend on snacks.
And viewers were furious as spoilt teen breaks the rules and ditches poor family for hotel.
Meanwhile, Rich Kids Go Skint star, 25, slams struggling single mum-of-two’s ‘poor choices’ after swapping her luxury flat to stay with her.
