Dad of six who swapped lifestyles with millionaire family for TV show Rich House, Poor House came home to find letter demanding he repay £1,000 debt
Anthony Williams and his family swapped their terraced home for a seven-bedroom mansion
A DAD of six who swapped places with a millionaire for a week on Rich House, Poor House has told how he came home to a demand for payment of a £1,000 debt.
Anthony Williams, who works in a warehouse, has a budget of £107 a week after rent and bills with which to feed and clothe his family and pay for electricity.
After the family swapped places with the rich Caddy family – who boast a budget of £1,741 a week – Anthony reveals he came home to a nasty shock.
He told the Sun Online: “The day we came back home I had a letter waiting for us about £1,000 odd of debt we didn’t know about.
“It was just bang! Straight back into reality. It’s another thing we have to pay bit by bit. But we cope.”
Anthony and Kayleigh, who met when they were both single parents, have six kids between the ages of nine and 18 months.
In the TV life swap, they traded their three-bed, one-bath terraced home for a seven-bed with four bathrooms and SEVEN toilets, set over four floors and owned by software millionaire James Caddy and wife Claire.
“As a family we have never been on holiday and I’ve never had a holiday in my life so this was like a bit of a holiday,” said Anthony.
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“The kids loved it. It was the dream house. The garden was amazing and the house was brilliant. Having a game of hide and seek in that house was just the best thing ever.”
The couple, of Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, were also given the disposable income the Caddys usually have and were able to treat the kids to a few extras.
“It was nice to go shopping and not care what you put in the trolley,” said Anthony.
“I always buy everything my family needs but when it comes to me and Kayleigh we watch what we’re buying to keep the money down.
“It was nice to be able to put everything into the trolley that we fancied for a change.”
In one of the most touching moments of the show, nine-year-old AJ is given the pair of football boots he’d been desperate for, so he could play with his mates at school.
Anthony said: “He’s at that age when all his mates are into football and for a couple of months he’s been asking for these football boots and he really wanted them.
“It’s a lot of money for us and I’m putting in as much overtime as I possibly can at work so I can cover the bills.
“When it comes to things like shoes it’s like ,‘That’s a big present. Can you wait for your birthday?’ But I just bust out and got it for him, which was great.
“I got my girlfriend a necklace, some Christmas presents and clothes for the kids.
“I didn’t get anything for myself in the whole week. That’s not who I am at all.”
Although money is tight, the couple don’t claim benefits and say their kids don’t go without.
Anthony said: “I have worked my a**e off all my life and I’m really proud that I provided for my children.
“We don’t drink, we don’t smoke, we don’t claim any benefits whatsoever. People see a family with six kids and they assume we’re on benefits for some reason.
“People count our kids when we walk past them in the supermarket.”
For Anthony, the best thing about the week was pretending to own the huge house – rather than worrying about where next month’s rent is coming from.
He said: “With the big house I got to pretend it was ours for the week whereas at home I pay the bills and I know it’s not my house because I pay rent, which takes up about two thirds of the money I get paid.
“I’m paying more than most people are paying in a mortgage and I feel totally ripped off but that’s the only option I have at the moment.”
“The big difference for me was the postman. When we see the postman it’s devastating and we just hope he won’t stop at our house.
“But when that rich guy gets post it’s fancy letters from people he’s met around the world or people sending cards. If I had his life I would be happy when the postman walks up the drive.”
Despite their week in the lap of luxury, Anthony said the kids settled straight back in at home.
“They were happy to be home,” He said.
“It’s not like we’re so disappointed or anything. We would rather have stayed at the rich people’s house but as long as we’ve got each other that’s all we care about. We just looked at it as an experience.”
But he admitted he had some pangs himself.
He added: “Secretly, I was dying inside. I would love to live that’s guy’s life. The house was amazing and it must be so easy.
“I bet he doesn’t worry about paying the TV licence. He probably doesn’t even know when it comes out the bank. He doesn’t have to go and top up his electricity.”
Despite his financial struggles, Anthony and Kayleigh are proud parents who spend all their spare time with their children and love to take them on outings.
Anthony said: “We may not spend as much money as others but we go out together a lot more than the average family, going places and doing things.
“I don’t think they are missing out on anything in life just because we are on a lower budget. I’ve never missed a birthday, a Christmas or even a pancake day.
“We’re not poor. Obviously we are compared to the other family but we’re not going to food banks or anything like that.
“There’s nothing that the kids need that they don’t have. I’m really proud of that.”
Rich House, Poor House airs on Thursday March 30 at 9pm on Channel 5