Shameless ‘Britain's benefits queen' who bought a horse & designer vagina on welfare says she's ‘too old' to work at 43

The Irish Sun

2 days ago

Marie has admitted she feels guilty for taking taxpayers' money, but she argues there is no incentive to work
MUMBELIEVABLE Shameless 'Britain's benefits queen' who bought a horse & designer vagina on welfare says she's 'too old' to work at 43
SHE'S previously used benefits to buy a horse, a boob job and a vagina designer.
But Marie Buchan, dubbed 'Britain's Benefits Queen', insists she is 'too old' to work at the age of 43.
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Marie Buchan has received around £500,000 in government handouts
Credit: Roland Leon
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She famously bought a horse using her benefits
Credit: Supplied
The mum-of-eight shared how she was 'dragged' to a job centre to find work as part of the TV series Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over.
The single mum invited the TV host into her four-bed housing association property in Selly Oak, near Birmingham.
Stacey Dooley spent two nights with Marie, who received £1,000 for filming, and helped her reluctantly sign up to a temping agency to find a carer's job.
Although she went through with the application, Marie admitted that it's 'less stressful to claim benefits.'
The 'benefits queen', who has kids aged 11 to 23, has seven children still living under her roof.
During filming, Stacey, 38, slept on a blow-up mattress in the living room, and brought her own bedding to use and showered in a pre-booked Airbnb.
The pair bonded over their love for horse riding and did it together on the show, as well as having a hair and nail pampering session.
Speaking to FEMAIL, Marie shared: 'Stace did take me to task over not having a job and kept saying I had to look for work, and she was trying to be encouraging.
'I've done care work in the past and she thought I might want to do it again, but now I'm now 43 I think I'm getting too old to work.
'It is easier and less stressful to claim benefits which I still do and I am entitled to! The form was there in front of me, Stace was trying to support me, but was staring at me and I didn't know what to do.
Octomum Marie Buchan sparks outrage after revealing plans to spend her benefits money on a HORSE
'I kept thinking, 'do I really want a job?', but felt I owed it to Stace so, damn it, I signed the form saying I was available for care work.'
Marie said although she had applied for the jobs three weeks ago, she hasn't yet heard anything back from the employment agency.
She added that she has her 'issues and insecurities' but 'encouraging' Stacey helped her build up her confidence.
The single mum said she had been approached by producers to do the Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over show, and although she wasn't sure at first, she thought it could be a good way for people to 'get to know the real me.'
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Single mum Marie has eight kids, with seven of them living with her at the moment
Credit: BPM
She added: 'There would be a fee paid which is always good to hear! I'm a much better person than the press make out so I said, 'what have I got to lose?.'
'The questions fired at me were quite intense. It was an emotional rollercoaster.
'I have no job and claim loads of benefits I am entitled to but people judge me and I have had so much negative press.'
I've done care work in the past and she thought I might want to do it again, but now I'm now 43 I think I'm getting too old to work
Marie Buchan
Marie, who volunteers at a food bank two Saturdays a month, said she is tempted to 'splash' the £1,000 participation fee on herself, but will 'probably' buy a new cooker instead.
The single mum has been in the system for over 23 years and has received around £500,000 in government handouts.
In 2018 she caused widespread outrage after travelling to Turkey to get a £1,500 boob job, going from a 34A cup to a 34D.
PUBLIC FURY
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Marie also had a boob job and got a designer vagina with her benefits
Credit: Roland Leon
While she insists she paid for the treatment with money raised from car boot sales, it's likely that the goods she sold would have been bought using taxpayer cash in the first place.
The following year, she hit the headlines again when it was revealed she jetted abroad for laser treatment to achieve a 'designer vagina' — again insisting she had paid for it with her car boot loot.
'I did fly abroad to get the surgery, but it's something I've come to regret,' she confesses.
'It was all a very big mistake and it's embarrassing for my kids.'
Marie triggered public fury yet again when she decided to buy a horse with her benefits.
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Marie was 19 when she had her first child and started using benefits
Credit: SWNS
'I just wanted to buy myself something nice and I had been saving my money. It had always been my dream to own one,' she admits.
'I paid £600 upfront for the horse and then had to pay an additional £100 a month to keep him at the yard. Food was around £25 a month.'
Looking back, Marie says she can understand why people were outraged.
'It was a big mistake. I was rubbing it in people's faces and I was showing off and I really regret that,' she says.
'He's now gone because I couldn't afford to keep him. Maybe if I go back to work I could buy another one.'
TOUGH CHILDHOOD
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Marie has worked on and off as a carer over the years
Credit: BPM
Despite her frequent Government-funded splurges, Marie hasn't always led such a charmed life.
'Growing up, my parents weren't wealthy. My dad was a window cleaner and my mum's disabled, so she got disability benefits,' she says.
'We were a big family – my nan had 14 children. We didn't have a lot, but we got by.'
I have no job and claim loads of benefits I am entitled to but people judge me and I have had so much negative press
Marie Buchan
At the age of 19, Marie welcomed her eldest daughter Tia, and first entered the welfare system.
'I was in and out of work at the time as a carer. I'd come off benefits, have another child be back on benefits,' she says.
'It was a bit of a rollercoaster, so in the end I made the decision to stay on benefits as it gave me the time to bring up my children.'
Many hard-working parents make the heartbreaking decision not to expand their brood due to cash constraints.
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Marie always wanted a large family to 'look after her'
Credit: Supplied
But for Marie, having more kids has never been a concern.
'I'd always wanted a big family in the hope they would look after me when I was old and grey,' she says.
'I never thought about the financial impact of having eight children because it is just so easy to get help from the government.
'They even give you the form at the hospital to claim your child tax credit. They make it too easy.'
Marie famously became a target for criticism when she appeared on This Morning in 2015 and claimed the proposed £23,000 a year benefit cap would leave her short.
'I was on £26,000 at the time, meaning I only had £500 a week to survive on,' she says.
BIG BILLS
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Marie has said she doesn't have enough money with her large family
Credit: BPM Media
'We are a big family, so half of it would go on our food shop alone.
'We also had the rent, the council tax and bills to worry about. The council only paid £45 per week towards rent and £16 per week towards council tax.'
In her 23 years of claiming benefits, Marie's annual income has fluctuated between £26,000 and £37,000.
And while she admits she feels guilty for taking taxpayers' money, she argues there is no incentive to work.
'I believe we are better off on benefits, because we get help in every area of our lives, whether that's the rent, bringing up the kids, or bills,' she says.
'You can access food banks or fuel vouchers. There's a lot of help out there.
"I've completed six college courses on mechanics and social work, but I'm still sitting here claiming my benefits. I've done nothing with them.
'It's very easy to sit in the system for the rest of your life.'