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Viewers Furious At Mum On Benefits Who Spends £2,000 On Christmas Presents

Viewers Furious At Mum On Benefits Who Spends £2,000 On Christmas Presents

Claire Young, who was signed off work in 2012 due to disability, receives £850-a-week in benefits.

James Dawson

James Dawson

A disabled woman who saves £50 a week so that she can splash out on her children at Christmas has been attacked by This Morning viewers, who presumably aren't as good at saving as she is. Watch it here:

Credit: ITV / This Morning

Claire Young, who was signed off work in 2012 due to disability, receives £850-a-week to manage her disability and so she can care for her three children, but puts some of it aside each week so she can treat her six children, aged 12 and under.

The mother-of-six, who suffers with ME and fibromyalgia, manages to save up around £2,000 ($2,700) over the course of the year, which she can then spend on making sure her kids have a special Christmas.

She told hosts Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield: "I don't drink, I don't go out every weekend, I don't take drugs, I hardly buy anything. Everything is for the children.

"I start in January, I save all the year through. I put £50 ($67) in a pot every week.

Credit: ITV / This Morning

"Christmas is only once a year and that's how I see it. Yes, we are on benefits but that shouldn't stop the children having Christmas.

"Me and my partner we don't get each other anything, it is literally all about the children."

She also spoke about her struggle with having to live on welfare, and how unforeseen circumstances could cause something similar to happen to any of us.

Claire added: "I don't like being on benefits, nobody likes being on benefits, but you never know when it's actually going to be you.

"If I could go to work right now I would do. But just because I'm on benefits, does that mean that my children don't get Christmas? And at the end of the day, that's our family money.

"I don't tell anyone else how to spend their money, no one should tell me how to spend my money, to be fair."

And bearing in mind the season of goodwill is now upon us, here's how Twitter reacted to the show:

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Featured Image Credit: ITV / This Morning

Topics: This Morning, Christmas, UK News, Entertainment, Film and TV, Benefits