Single mum-of-four cleaner swapped her tiny rented house for four-bed mansion in Rich House, Poor House … and ended up CLEANING the place out of habit before she left
Angela Carter-Begbie also swapped her £138 weekly budget for the Bentleys' £1,797
A SINGLE mum of four swapped her three-bed council house for a millonaire’s four-bed in a life swap show – and ended up doing the cleaning.
In Rich House, Poor House Angela Carter-Begbie and her family trade places with the Terry and Sharon Bentley and daughter Kaylee as well as swapping a weekly budget of £138.86 for a kitty of £1797.43.
Terry Bentley built up a £5000 loft insulation firm into a business which turned over £42 million when he sold it to retire at the age of 48.
Angela got to experience what life was like for the millionaire family - but old habits died hard for the contestant - whose three jobs include work as a part-time cleaner.
She told The Sun Online: “When I found out the cleaners weren’t coming in for a couple of days I thought, ‘I can’t leave it like this’ so I went round and cleaned everything.
“I cleaned all the showers and bathrooms so that it was spotless when they came home. It wasn’t dirty but I went round giving everything a freshen up.”
Angela has raised her four kids – Josh, 21, Lara, 18, Callum, 16 and Katie, 15 – as a single mum since splitting with their father in 2006 and money has always been tight.
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But with cash to spend for one week, Angela could finally treat herself to shoes worth more than a FIVER.
She said: “The kids normally go first with everything so going shopping for me was very hard to do. I’m used to getting the kids sorted out and I come last.
“On clothes, I spent £302. The boots were £125.
“Normally if I pick a pair of shoes up they’ll be in sale for £5. I begrudge spending £10 on a pair of shoes so to buy a pair of boots for £125 was shocking.
“I also bought a top and skirt. It’s a Teddy Baxter outfit.
“It was a skirt that at £45 I would have looked at and put back on the shelf.
“The kids were a bit shocked that I did it. They said ‘Crikey mum!’ but I think it made the older ones realise that they do get priority over me because my oldest lad keeps saying, ‘Mum, I’ll do that.’ Or ‘Treat yourself Mum’.”
Angela, from Stamford, Lincs, works as a shop assistant as well as a cleaner and part-time masseuse.
Her tight budget means that she is careful what she picks up at the supermarket and treats are rare.
“I tend to go to markets for my fruit and veg,” she explained. “We all love watermelon but I have to buy them when they’re a good price.
“We eat a lot of lettuce but if it’s above 50p I don’t buy it.
“So food shopping was great, being able to pick up anything we fancied.
“The biggest treat was a nice expensive bar of chocolate – even though we all shared it.”
Another rare indulgence was a £43 Chinese takeaway – with crispy duck and pancakes.
Angela said: “It was luxury to have a takeaway where we don’t all have to share it.
“They had their own individual food. If they wanted beef chow mein they got the whole beef chow mein instead of getting a tiny bit each.
“We had a half a duck wrap as well whereas normally we would have a quarter.
“I also treated the kids to the pictures and even bought sweets there which I wouldn’t normally do.”
Angela’s only regret was that she never got to drive the Bentleys' £60,000 Bentley – one of three luxury cars in the driveway.
“I got to drive the Range Rover,” she said. “I wanted to drive the Bentley but the insurance was so high.
“I would have been terrified anyway. It would only have gone down the drive and back again.”
On the Channel 5 show, Angela is seen breaking down as she reveals her fears that she will be unable to put all four kids through university.
She said: “Having this experience just highlights how much you struggle. You have days when you get upset because you think, ‘I need money for this and money for that’.
“You put a brave face on the world when you open your front door and go out in the world but it is hard because reality has hit me how tough it is.”
But after returning to her own home, at the end of the week, she said the whole experience had been life-affirming.
She said: “It’s brought home how much of a struggle it’s been and what I’ve achieved.
“I’ve brought four children up and I’m giving myself a massive pat on the back. It showed me how wonderful life is.”
Despite her week of luxury, Angela insists she’s not jealous of the other family’s wealth.
She told The Sun Online: “I’m a great believer in fate.
“I’ve seen well off people come tumbling down.
“It would be lovely to have that income coming in, and not to worry about it, but I’m not jealous.
“I’m very content in my own life with my kids. As long as my kids are doing alright, I’m happy.”
The show also revealed how designer shoe addict Kaylee struggled with the £138 budget and was forced to clean toilets in her Jimmy Choos.
Read our exclusive interviews with last weeks life swap dads, hardworking dad-of-six Anthony Williams and millionaire James Caddy.
Rich House, Poor House is on Channel 5 and 9pm on Thursday
