Millionaire dad of seven praises hard workers after saying the cost of living crisis is boosting his fortune

The millionaire dad-of-seven who said the cost of living crisis 'only boosts my fortune' has now praised the 'hard working people out there'.

Barrie Drewitt Barlow caused quite the stir earlier this week by stating that while some UK households are having to choose whether to 'heat or eat' this winter, he intends to spend more money.

The 51-year-old entrepreneur, who appeared on an episode of reality TV show Below Deck Sailing Yacht last year, is worth more than £175 million thanks to his various business ventures.

Barrie has just welcomed his seventh baby, Romeo, with fiancé Scott Hutchinson, 27, though he's less worried than ever about splashing the cash for the upcoming festive season.

Speaking to The Sun, he said: "The cost of living crisis only boosts my fortune.

"People are feeling the pinch and therefore need to purchase more economic household and personal care products, moving away from the more luxury and expensive brands.

"This means they need the new products coming onto the marketplace that would have been tested through one of my consumer research companies."

And to the millions of people who are struggling now, Barrie says that he does 'feel' for them, but they should 'work harder'.

It's no surprise that the 'advice' felt like a slap in the face to those who are working overtime just to try and make ends meet.

But Barrie clearly stands by his opinion, as shown in a new Instagram post in which he praised hard workers and slammed 'lazy ass people'.

Alongside a picture of a cap with the phrase 'if the cap fits' on it, he wrote: "To all those hard working people out there, you guys rock!

"It's the lazy ass people who don't do a days work and expect something for nothing I have the issue with!

"Good hard working, working class people are the cornerstone of our society, but of course, there are always those that want something for nothing!

"Those that have an issue with this, do I really REALLY care! No lol if you don't like your life, do something about it, like the hundreds of entrepreneurs that risk everything to get what they have!"

One statement that stood out in his recent interview was the fact that Barrie – despite being a dad to seven kids – works obscenely long hours.

He said: "I work 19-hour days, every day of the week and as the old saying goes, work hard, play hard and I do both.

"I'm sick of hearing people's hard luck stories to be honest with you, there are always opportunities out there if you look for them and if I can do it, anyone can.

"Those that want to sit on their ass all day long, get what they deserve."

Some questioned how this leaves him with any time to be a dad, with one person writing on Facebook: "Depends on your outlook, in my eyes I’m the richer man.

"If he wants to work 15-16 hours a day and not have much presence with his home life but make millions then that’s his choice.

"But my choice is to clock out at a certain time each day and be present for my wife and daughter."

Another said: "What a stinking attitude to have, lots of us work hard and are getting nowhere."

A third simply quipped: "Hope the NHS staff don't work too hard the day he needs them."