Latest news with #WifeSwap
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Where is Wife Swap's foul-mouthed Lizzy Bardsley now? How life went south for the reality TV star after her stint in the spotlight
She found fame on Channel 4 's Wife Swap, but starring on the reality TV show wasn't Lizzy Bardsley's only stint in the spotlight. The mother of eight, 52, from Milnrow, Lancashire, served as a controversial figure on the programme in 2003 alongside her then-husband, Mark Bardsley. Lizzy was such an unforgettable character on the show that clips of her standout moments are doing the rounds online today, entertaining generations who weren't able to catch the show live on air. However, in the time since she first appeared in the show, she's found herself at the forefront of various dramas, both on and off air. Lizzy used Wife Swap as a springboard to star in other reality television shows, including Bed and Bardsleys and Celebrity Fit Club. But the television persona didn't just find herself in controversial situations on screen, but also while the cameras weren't rolling. In the years post her television debut, Lizzy split from her husband, was found guilty of child cruelty, and convicted of benefit fraud. Here, the Daily Mail reveals what happened to the loudmouth mother-of-eight after she starred on Wife Swap. In 2003, Channel 4 scored an impressive five million viewers when airing an episode of Wife Swap starring Lizzy. In the episode, she swapped shoes - and husbands - with mother-of-two Emma Spry, uprooting from her Rochdale council house to a more affluent home in Devon. Lizzy, who hadn't worked for over a decade at the time, was made to take up Emma's office job during filming, while Emma struggled to keep up with life in the Bardsleys' chaotic home. The mother of eight lasted just three days before deciding that Spry was planning to sabotage her relationship, the Guardian reported, and ordered that she must leave her Greater Manchester home. Despite having only a few days' worth of material, the show proved to entertain the nation, attracting millions of viewers, and it was no doubt in part thanks to Lizzy's outspoken nature. In the 44-minute-long episode, Lizzy and her former husband swore a staggering 60 times, The Sun reported, with the reality TV star unafraid of sharing her true thoughts in heated exchanges. Despite her often-jaw dropping remarks, Lizzy thought she performed positively in the series, and told The Observer, 'I thought we came across really well. I felt like a little star.' After finding her place in the limelight, she went on to star in Celebrity Fit Club, where she lost over a stone, starred on The Weakest Link, and posed nude for a Sunday newspaper. But her newfound fame came crashing down as quickly as it came around when a series of scandals about Lizzy became known. In September 2005, Lizzy was found guilty of being a benefit cheat. She pocketed £3,800 for her various media works while raking in £37,500 a year in state handouts, which sparked outrage around the UK. Lizzy, then-32, was claiming four different benefits but was also being paid for TV appearances and newspaper and magazine articles. She claimed to have given the cash away to charity or to her family. But magistrates in Rochdale decided that she should have been aware the extra cash amounted to a change in circumstances and declared the benefits to the Department of Work and Pensions. She was found guilty of benefit fraud and was made to pay back the £4,879 overpayment, which was taken from her current benefits. Vincent Carr, prosecuting, also asked for £2,500 court costs. After the verdict, David Chad, defending Lizzy, said she intended to appeal against the court's decision. He said she continues to maintain she did not keep any of the cash for her own financial gain but gave it away. Afterwards anti-fraud minister James Plaskitt said: 'This is the reality of benefit fraud. Cheats take money intended for the most vulnerable in our society. 'The public rightly get angry about such anti-social behaviour and as with this case, with their support we will track down the fraudsters.' Then, one year later in 2006, Lizzy was arrested over child cruelty claims. In 2013, she was found guilty. Lizzy, then-33, had denied the three counts of wilful assault and one of wilful ill-treatment of a child under 16, according to Manchester Evening News. The prosecution claimed that the mother had punched the child, who remained anonymous, tried to knee him in the groin area, and bit him. Lizzy's mother and two sisters testified against her. She claimed that they were 'jealous and malicious' of her rise to fame. Her defence lawyer claimed that there was no evidence from official sources, such as a GP. She said, 'I have only lost my temper twice in my life. What people saw on Wife Swap was an extreme situation.' Things took another turn in 2013 when Lizzy split from her husband Mark after eight years of marriage. In a joint statement shared by Manchester Evening News, the couple said, 'Although we have split it is an amicable split. 'We wish to be left alone to either salvage our marriage or sort out our final dealings, those which must be done. 'We must be left alone for the sake of our children, who are at the forefront of our minds during this situation.' But despite all the dramas that came after the show, Lizzy, who has maintained a low profile since the 2010s, told The Daily Mirror in 2009 that she would do it all over again. She told the outlet, 'Yes, I'd do it all again because it gave my family so many opportunities. 'Our marriage was fine when we went on the show but he found the fame hard to deal with. I'm better off without him.' While Lizzy hasn't made any recent appearances in the media, she occasionally updates her followers on her X account, where she describes herself as a, 'Proud footy mum and footy nana'.
Time Magazine
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Magazine
The True Story Behind 'Trainwreck: Balloon Boy'
On July 15, the Netflix documentary Trainwreck: Balloon Boy takes flight, chronicling the saga of the Heene family in Colorado, who sparked wall-to-wall cable news coverage in October 2009 when they reported that their homemade helium balloon, shaped like a flying saucer, got untethered with their six-year-old son Falcon inside. Turns out Falcon—nicknamed 'Balloon Boy'—was in his family's house the entire time, nestled in a space above the garage that police missed in their search. When asked why he didn't come out of the house when it was being searched during an interview with Larry King, Falcon said, 'You guys said that we did it for the show.' That comment started a whole new news cycle about whether the Heene family had staged a hoax. Falcon's father Richard Heene, an amateur scientist, pleaded guilty to attempting to influence a public servant, and his wife Mayumi pleaded guilty to filing a false report to authorities. Richard received a 90-day prison sentence, and Mayumi received a 20-day prison sentence. In 2020, the Governor of Colorado pardoned the Heenes, arguing that the state needed to move on from the episode. In Netflix's latest Trainwreck documentary, Falcon and his parents speak out about this traumatizing period. Here's how they respond to the claims that they staged a hoax. Balloon Boy's side of the story The helium balloon came to exist because Richard Heene liked to conduct science experiments and film them—often taking his kids out to chase tornadoes. But he claims he never intended for it to come untethered, only hover about over 20 feet over his yard in Fort Collins, Colorado. Built like a flying saucer, it was a tempting attraction for a kid. 'There's a little compartment there that's perfect for my size, you know,' Falcon, now 22, says in the doc. 'I wanted to live in there.' On the day of the infamous search, Falcon says he had tried to climb into the balloon a few times but got yelled at by his dad. Feeling 'scared,' he decided to go back into the house to his favorite hiding place, the garage attic, where he 'got bored and fell asleep.' He remembers waking up to a lot of commotion in the house, and says he went and found a large number of people in the house, but no one recognized him. Reflecting on the entire incident and the viral Larry King interview, Falcon says he feels like his words got blown out of proportion. 'I remember feeling bad that I did something wrong. But just looking back on it now, I was six-years-old and all these adults took whatever I said they were able to string together what they thought was something else and make it so, so big. It's baffling.' How the family responded to hoax claims After Falcon's comment went viral, the public and law enforcement focused on why the family would have made up the story. Richard and Mayumi Heene had been contestants on the show Wife Swap in 2008, and some wondered whether the 'Balloon Boy' incident was an effort to land a reality TV show of their own. Bob Heffernan, investigator with the Larimer County Sheriff's office, says in the doc: 'I also learned that the Heenes had been working very hard to try to get themselves a TV show. It would be helpful if they ended up in the news or got their name out there somewhere. I think that's what their motivation was for this whole hoax.' Despite serving time on charges related to the hoax, Richard and Mayumi Heene maintain in Trainwreck that they were not trying to seek attention with the balloon. When those comments are played back to Richard Heene in Trainwreck, he says 'that makes no sense. Why would I even consider doing something that's going to turn on me, potentially sending me to jail. Like how am I going to get a TV show doing that?' As far as those who cite his stint Wife Swap as proof that he was capable of pulling off the 'Balloon Boy' hoax to get attention, 'People were accusing us of being fame hungry because we were on Wife Swap, which is completely not true. I would have never done Wife Swap in a million years. It sounded gross to me. But they offered to pay us, and we needed money.' He argues the footage of him and his wife hysterical when they realize the flying saucer is drifting away shows genuine emotion. They're screaming and visibly upset. In terms of Falcon's implication that the family did it for a show, he argued that 'he's only 6,' meaning viewers have to take what a six-year-old says with a grain of salt. The Heene family moved from Colorado to Florida to start new lives with more anonymity. The incident does not appear to have deterred Richard from doing more experiments. The documentary ends with him teasing a mystery invention: 'I'm working on something new, and it's going to be really big.'
Scottish Sun
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Channel 5 launches new challenge show inspired by iconic Eddie Murphy film
The new show has a retro feel to it 'for more than one reason' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) EDDIE MURPHY's Eighties movie Trading Places is the inspiration for a new TV project. The Channel 5 show has the same name and will see two people with very different lifestyles have to walk in one another's shoes. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 3 Eddie Murphy alongside Jamie Lee Curtis and Dan Aykroyd in Trading Places Credit: Alamy So you might end up watching a banker try his hand at farming, or a violinist become a lorry driver, or a ballerina ditch their tights in favour of working on an oil rig. It is based on the story at the heart of comedy Trading Places, which sees Eddie's down-and-out character Billy Ray Valentine trade positions with upper-class stock broker Louis Winthorpe, played by Dan Aykroyd. Meanwhile, snobbish Louis becomes a street hustler and pals with local hooker, played by Jamie Lee Curtis. A TV insider said: 'While this has strong echoes of the 1983 movie, it has a retro feel to it for more than one reason. "The new project definitely has a whiff of Channel 4's Wife Swap or Faking It, which were hugely successful in the Nineties and Noughties. 'Though this does take things to higher level, as there is an implied amount of competition given that it's two people trying to excel in the other's field of expertise.' But the experience goes much further than their nine-to-five job. The participants will live in one another's houses, take over their hobbies, and even socialise with their friends and families. They will even have to follow the other's sleep routines — and neither has the faintest idea what the other does for a living before they start filming the show. DAMIAN'S GALAXY OF STARS ACTING royalty DamiaN Lewis brought together a galaxy of stars for the launch of Lightroom's Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs. I was on Wife Swap - what the other woman said when she went through my fridge left me reeling The attraction, in King's Cross London, is a new immersive experience that takes visitors back to prehistoric times, 66 million years ago. 3 Damian Lewis with celeb pal Billie Piper Credit: Getty 3 GMB host Kate Garraway was one of a string of Damian's famous pals to attend Credit: Getty Damian, who played Henry VIII in the BBC's Wolf Hall dramas, lends his dulcet tones to proceedings as the narrator. But at the official launch he was also playing host to a string of famous pals including Billie Piper and GMB host Kate Garraway. Other big names attending included Kay Burley, Anita Rani, Charlotte Ritchie and Matt Johnson. The prehistoric world was brought vividly to life through Lightroom's cutting-edge 360-degree projection technology – and all to the sound of a score by Hanz Zimmer. LIAM'S GIFT TO SINGERS NICOLE SCHERZINGER has told how co-star Liam Payne would put in extra hours behind the scenes of Building The Band to help the wannabes. The late singer is also a judge and mentor on the Netflix talent show that launched yesterday. It was filmed prior to his shock death last October. Nicole, who was a guest judge on The X Factor in 2010 when Liam found fame with One Direction, said of his time on Building The Band: 'He was in his happy place coming full circle, having started out in a similar situation on a talent reality show, and then having the global success that he has had, and then to be able to give back and to mentor bands. 'He put in the extra hours to work with these bands even off screen. 'He was giving back and that's one of his gifts.' AMY SET FOR LAST LAUGH THE first comedian primed to join a new star-studded cast of Jimmy Carr's Last One Laughing is Amy Gledhill She has been snapped up by Prime Video for the second series of the hit comedy show, which drops next year. Jimmy is back to host the show challenging ten of the UK's funniest people enter a room for a six-hour battle of wills - where the last one to laugh is crowned the winner. Amy will follow in the footsteps of Bob Mortimer, Daisy May Cooper and Joe Lycett who featured in the first outing. An insider told The Sun: 'Amy is not massively known as yet, but she's a rising star who has already achieved acclaimed success at the UK National Comedy Awards and Edinburgh Fringe Festival. 'Last One Laughing is the perfect opportunity to show off her talent - and help catapult her onto the worldwide stage.' ROSE'S THRILLER GROWS ITV has commissioned a second series of thriller Code of Silence which stars Rose Ayling-Ellie. The first, six part series was widely acclaimed when it aired on ITV1 and ITVX in May and June and the first episode consolidated with 7.5m viewers In particularly, people tuning in were impressed by it putting a deaf character, Alison, at the heart of the action. Former EastEnders and Strictly winner Rose, who plays the key role, said: 'I'm so proud that Code of Silence has been recommissioned. 'The response to the first series has been incredible, and it means so much to be part of a drama that not only keeps audiences on the edge of their seats, but also puts a Deaf character at the heart of the story. 'I'm really excited to see where Alison's journey goes next and to be working again with the wonderful cast, crew and creative team behind the show.' A NEW trailer has dropped for series two of Netflix hit Wednesday, and it suggests Jenna Ortega's eponymous lead is in grave danger. During one of her psychic visions, she learns her best friend Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers) will die and it is her fault. It lands on August 6. NETFLIX's longest-running unscripted series Queer Eye has been canned. The lifestyle show followed the Fab Five – experts in fashion, design, relationships, grooming and interiors – as they made over willing its 2018 debut more than 90 episodes have been aired.
The Irish Sun
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Channel 5 launches new challenge show inspired by iconic Eddie Murphy film
EDDIE MURPHY's Eighties movie Trading Places is the inspiration for a new TV project. The Channel 5 show has the same name and will see two people with very different lifestyles have to walk in one another's shoes. 3 Eddie Murphy alongside Jamie Lee Curtis and Dan Aykroyd in Trading Places Credit: Alamy So you might end up watching a banker try his hand at farming, or a violinist become a lorry driver, or a ballerina ditch their tights in favour of working on an oil rig. It is based on the story at the heart of comedy Trading Places, which sees Eddie's down-and-out character Billy Ray Valentine trade positions with upper-class stock broker Louis Winthorpe, played by Dan Aykroyd. Meanwhile, snobbish Louis becomes a street hustler and pals with local hooker, played by A TV insider said: 'While this has strong echoes of the 1983 movie, it has a retro feel to it for more than one reason. Read more on Channel 5 "The new project definitely has a whiff of Channel 4's Wife Swap or Faking It, which were hugely successful in the Nineties and Noughties. 'Though this does take things to higher level, as there is an implied amount of competition given that it's two people trying to excel in the other's field of expertise.' But the experience goes much further than their nine-to-five job. The participants will live in one another's houses, take over their hobbies, and even socialise with their friends and families. Most read in News TV They will even have to follow the other's sleep routines — and neither has the faintest idea what the other does for a living before they start filming the show. DAMIAN'S GALAXY OF STARS ACTING royalty DamiaN Lewis brought together a galaxy of stars for the launch of Lightroom's Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs. I was on Wife Swap - what the other woman said when she went through my fridge left me reeling The attraction, in King's Cross London, is a new immersive experience that takes visitors back to prehistoric times, 66 million years ago. 3 Damian Lewis with celeb pal Billie Piper Credit: Getty 3 GMB host Kate Garraway was one of a string of Damian's famous pals to attend Credit: Getty Damian, who played Henry VIII in the BBC's Wolf Hall dramas, lends his dulcet tones to proceedings as the narrator. But at the official launch he was also playing host to a string of famous pals including Other big names attending included Kay Burley, Anita Rani, Charlotte Ritchie and Matt Johnson. The prehistoric world was brought vividly to life through Lightroom's cutting-edge 360-degree projection technology – and all to the sound of a score by Hanz Zimmer. LIAM'S GIFT TO SINGERS NICOLE SCHERZINGER has told how co-star Liam Payne would put in extra hours behind the scenes of Building The Band to help the wannabes. The late singer is also a judge and mentor on the Netflix talent show that launched yesterday. It was filmed prior to his shock death last October. Nicole, who was a guest judge on The X Factor in 2010 when Liam found fame with One Direction, said of his time on Building The Band: 'He was in his happy place coming full circle, having started out in a similar situation on a talent reality show, and then having the global success that he has had, and then to be able to give back and to mentor bands. 'He put in the extra hours to work with these bands even off screen. 'He was giving back and that's one of his gifts.' AMY SET FOR LAST LAUGH THE first comedian primed to join a new star-studded cast of Jimmy Carr's Last One Laughing is Amy Gledhill She has been snapped up by Prime Video for the second series of the hit comedy show, which drops next year. Jimmy is back to host the show challenging ten of the UK's funniest people enter a room for a six-hour battle of wills - where the last one to laugh is crowned the winner. Amy will follow in the footsteps of Bob Mortimer, An insider told The Sun: 'Amy is not massively known as yet, but she's a rising star who has already achieved acclaimed success at the UK National Comedy Awards and Edinburgh Fringe Festival. 'Last One Laughing is the perfect opportunity to show off her talent - and help catapult her onto the worldwide stage.' ROSE'S THRILLER GROWS ITV has commissioned a second series of thriller Code of Silence which stars Rose Ayling-Ellie. The first, six part series was widely acclaimed when it aired on ITV1 and ITVX in May and June and the first episode consolidated with 7.5m viewers In particularly, people tuning in were impressed by it putting a deaf character, Alison, at the heart of the action. Former EastEnders and Strictly winner Rose, who plays the key role, said: 'I'm so proud that Code of Silence has been recommissioned. 'The response to the first series has been incredible, and it means so much to be part of a drama that not only keeps audiences on the edge of their seats, but also puts a Deaf character at the heart of the story. 'I'm really excited to see where Alison's journey goes next and to be working again with the wonderful cast, crew and creative team behind the show.' A NEW trailer has dropped for series two of Netflix hit Wednesday, and it suggests During one of her psychic visions, she learns her best friend Enid Sinclair (Emma Myers) will die and it is her fault. It lands on August 6. NETFLIX's longest-running unscripted series Queer Eye has been canned. The lifestyle show followed the Fab Five – experts in fashion, design, relationships, grooming and interiors – as they made over willing its 2018 debut more than 90 episodes have been aired.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Yahoo
They Were Portrayed as a Wholesome Family on TV — Then One Son Came Home with a Gun
Jacob Stockdale fatally shot his mother and brother in 2017 before attempting to take his own life The family appeared on 'Wife Swap' in 2008, and was known for their strict religious values and musical lifestyle Stockdale pleaded guilty in 2021 and was sentenced to 30 years to life in prisonHe was the quiet son in a God-fearing, music-loving reality TV family. But nearly a decade after Wife Swap introduced the world to the ultra-strict Stockdale family, Jacob Stockdale turned their idyllic farmhouse into a crime scene — killing his mother and younger brother before turning the gun on himself. On June 15, 2017, police say the then 25-year-old shot his mother, 54-year-old Kathryn, and his younger brother, 21-year-old James, inside the family's home in Beach City, Ohio. He then attempted suicide but survived. After years of psychiatric treatment and a not guilty by reason of insanity plea, Jacob eventually admitted to the killings in 2021 and was sentenced to two concurrent terms of 15 years to life in prison, PEOPLE previously reported. The tragedy shook the small Ohio town — and stunned viewers who remembered the Stockdale family's 2008 appearance on ABC's Wife Swap. At the time, the deeply religious family was portrayed as a strict and close-knit. The children were homeschooled, dating was forbidden and secular entertainment — like television and video games — was banned. The family performed together in a bluegrass group, and their daily life centered around faith, work and music. Laurie Tonkovic, the temporary mother assigned to the Stockdale family during the show's two-week switch, told TMZ that Jacob panicked when she offered him and his three brothers small liberties, like watching TV. 'I was gonna let them have fun… television, video games. You know, [let them] experience life a little bit," Tonkovic told the outlet after Stockdale's arrest. 'But Jacob went outside crying… fearful of the repercussions because of what his parents had drilled into him over the years.' 'He was petrified that his religious mom and dad would be angry and that he would 'burn in Hell,'" she said. "He lived in a very controlled environment… his mom and dad told him what to do.' Investigators never publicly identified a motive — but the case has fueled speculation about whether the family's extreme isolation and rigid rules may have contributed to a mental health crisis. PEOPLE previously reported that Jacob was committed to a psychiatric facility after the shootings and was deemed incompetent to stand trial until nearly three years later. Now 33, Jacob is serving his sentence in an Ohio state prison. Read the original article on People
