‘Britain’s Benefits Queen’, 43, who spent welfare payouts on a boob job, designer vagina and a HORSE, reveals why she’s not fit to work
A woman known as ‘Britain’s Benefits Queen’ has revealed how Stacey Dooley ‘dragged’ her to a job centre to find employment – although she still thinks she’s ‘too old’ to work.
Mother-of-eight Marie Buchan, 43, who has previously splashed her welfare handouts on a horse, a boob job and designer vagina cosmetic surgery, invited the BBC documentary filmmaker into her modest four-bed housing association property in Selly Oak, near Birmingham, West Midlands.
The presenter spent two nights living with the single parent as part of her TV series Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over, which aims to give a glimpse into the country’s extraordinary characters and their families’ lives.
However, Marie recounted how programme makers ‘forced’ the reluctant Marie to sign up to a temping agency and seek out a carer’s job – albeit admitting it’s ‘less stressful to claim benefits’.
The benefit claimant, who received a £1,000 payment for participating in the show which is due to air later this month, has children aged 11 to 23, with seven of them still living at home.
Stacey, 38, slept on a blow-up mattress in the cramped living room. She brought her own bedding and pillows and used a pre-booked Airbnb nearby to shower.
The pair bonded over a shared love of horses, and spent time together visiting a local pub and a monkey park. They also went horse riding at a nearby outdoor arena and enjoyed a hair and nail pampering session.
However, Marie said the visit to a local recruitment agency, at Stacey’s insistence, was a less enjoyable part of the experience.
Britain’s Benefits Queen mother-of-eight Marie Buchan, 43, from Birmingham, West Midlands, revealed Stacey Dooley dragged her to a jobcentre to sign up for work but she claims she’s ‘too old to work’
Speaking exclusively to FEMAIL, she explained: ‘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.
‘She kept saying, “you must go out there and get a job”. She made me go to a employment agency to look for care work, and I was hesitating about signing up.
‘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.
‘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.
‘This was all around three weeks ago but I’ve not heard anything back yet. Maybe I’m simply not employable!’
She added: ‘She kept saying, “make me and your family proud and go out there and get a job!”.’
‘I was dragged along by Stace, she can be very persuasive! I don’t want to work. I’m getting too old and it’s much easier to claim benefits!’
Marie (pictured) who has previously splashed her welfare handouts on a horse, a boob job and designer vagina cosmetic surgery , invited the BBC documentary filmmaker into her modest four-bed housing association property in Selly Oak
Stacey spent two nights living with the single mother as part of her TV series Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over, which aims to give a glimpse into extraordinary British characters and their families’ lives
‘I’d been very nervous about meeting her as she’s so successful in her career and is so lovely and slim and glam.
‘I felt bit ashamed and thought she may judge me. To be honest I think she was as nervous at meeting me and staying over in my house as she’d read dreadful things about me.
‘I reckon she thought she was letting herself into a nightmare because of all the negative press she’d read and researched about me.
‘At first I thought she was thinking, “what the hell have I let myself in for?”. But thankfully, she wasn’t one to judge me like everyone else in the country seems to do!
‘I have my issues and insecurities but she kept trying to build up my self confidence and encourage me.
‘It was kind of her and helpful, and we had a laugh. She’s good fun, and naturally very chatty and engaging. I can see why people like her on TV.’
Despite inviting Stacey into her home, Marie admitted that she didn’t know much about her or the show before hand.
‘I felt embarrassed to admit I’d never watched her on Strictly Come Dancing, and blimey she went on to win it,’ the mother added.
Marie Buchan with her 11-year-old daughter Olivia, who is the only child to appear in the show due to be aired later this month, and her daughter Michaela, 14
Stacey met her partner Kevin Clifton on Strictly Come Dancing in 2018 when they were paired together for the show.
The couple, who went on to win that season, now share a daughter, Minnie, born in January 2023.
Marie admitted: ‘It’s not my type of show but I had to Google her and I was stunned she’d copped off with her dance partner and later married him and had a baby girl, and good luck to them.
‘They seem devoted to each other and she spoke a bit about “my lovely Kev”, saying he was a ”good guy.” But I never met him or her toddler daughter who she dotes on.
’They weren’t around when she was filming the show but she showed me photos of her little girl and she is so cute.’
Marie also confessed: ‘I’d never seen any of Stacey’s documentaries and wasn’t aware of her Sleepover show and it was only when producers approached me to be on it that I Googled all her work.
‘At first I wasn’t sure but felt it was a good way for people to get to know the real me and 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?”.’
Marie claims the presenter ‘grew to like her’ over the unusual weekend sleepover experience.
Marie told how aside from awkward and embarrassing questions for the show, she and Stacey still managed to have a fun time
She said: ‘At the end she said she’d miss me and I was touched. Despite me saying I’d never watched her on Strictly or seen any on her documentaries, she never came across as being precious.’
Marie opened up about the cramped sleeping arrangements, revealing the presenter slept in her living room with her producer.
She said: ‘I couldn’t offer her a bedroom because there was not a spare one with all but one of my kids still at home so she slept on a blow up bed with her producer on another one in the living room.
‘She didn’t use any of my bedding, she bought all her own duvet and pillows and wasn’t brave enough to have a shower or bath at my house.
’She went to a pre-booked Airbnb, not to sleep over as she was at my for two nights, but just to have a shower and give me and my kids a few hours of space and a breather.’
Marie claimed filming became ‘very intrusive’ and at times she had to take a break as she became overwhelmed.
She explained: ’The team needed to know everything and asked me about all those things I didn’t really what to discuss but had to.
’Stace was very down to earth but at times some of the questioning was too much and I broke down. The questions fired at me were quite intense. It was an emotional rollercoaster.
The pair bonded over a shared love of horses and spent time together visiting a local pub and a monkey park. They also went horse riding at a nearby outdoor arena and enjoyed a hair and nail pampering session
‘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.’
She told how Stacey was trying to encourage her and build her up, telling her: ‘Just ignore all of this. Don’t care about it, let people talk.
’They never referred to me as a benefits scrounger, that’s harsh, but that had to be part of the show. Stace was a bit wary at first about me but strangely we bonded’, she added.
‘I’ve got a strong West Midlands accent and she’s Luton-London Cockney, and she kept saying to me: “Oh Marie, just slow down you’re talking too fast” but she talks as fast as I do!
’I did get a bit upset when her producer kept asking me questions about my boob job and other intimate surgery I’ve had, which I didn’t want to really discuss. But I did a bit because I wanted to get my point across in the programme.
‘I’m still painted as Britain’s welfare queen, I’m still on benefits and seven of my eight kids, apart from the eldest, still live at home. I’m trying to do my best as a single mum and at times it’s tough.’
Marie told how aside from awkward and embarrassing questions for the show, she and Stacey still managed to have a fun time.
They had also visited a pub – Old House at Home in Harborne for a meal which a close friend of Marie’s was invited along too, plus a visit to Trentham Monkey Forest.
The benefit claimant, who received a £1,000 payment for participating in the show which is due to air later this month, has children aged 11 to 23, with seven of them still living at home
’All in all we had a good time and I’m looking forward to seeing the sixth series of the show which is due to go out later this month,’ she added.
‘I hope they’re kind to me and not too damaging. I saw a post production take and it seems fair and I’m quite happy with it. I enjoyed having Stace to stay over, and when we didn’t go out for a meal we cooked in. She helped me cook dinner one night, but it took her half an hour to cut a pepper!
’She said she wasn’t used to cooking at home and rarely did it. She opened up a bit about her life. She met all of my eight children and some of my grandchildren. My eleven-year-old daughter Olivia was happy to appear on the show, she is the only one, but the others didn’t want to, which is fine, it’s their choice.
‘I opened up to her, I told her I was worried that I was now overweight, telling her “I wish I could lose some pounds and be nice and slim like you.”‘
’She just replied “Don’t worry… just be yourself”.’
‘I felt at the start, that she felt I was a bit arrogant and am always having to try to explain myself to people, and some haters.
‘But after a few days of getting to know me Stace seemed happy to be here and sad to leave me, saying she’d miss me!
‘I said to her, “let’s have a challenge and swap lives and houses for one week, and she replied, horrified, “oh no, I don’t think so!”.’
Marie, who revealed she is a volunteer at a food bank for two Saturdays a month, said she wanted to spend her £1,000 programme fee on herself.
‘I’d love to splash the cash on me but don’t think I should,’ she explained. ‘On reflection I need a new cooker so it will probably be spent on this.’
Marie described Stacey, who was born in Luton, Bedfordshire, and has experienced her own family demons in the past, as ‘lovely’ and ‘genuine.’
The presenter’s father walked out on the family when she was just two-years-old. He was an alcoholic, who died when she was in her 20’s.
She has made no secret of her struggles, admitting to going through a shoplifting phase with her friends during her youth in Luton and during this time had dated a drug dealer.
It comes as the star has told how three families she is ’Sleeping Over’ with in her new TV series ‘all have a glimmer of notoriety about them’.
She said that a ‘lady called Marie’ is among them ‘who has fairly or unfairly, arguably, been labelled by the tabloids as the welfare queen.’
She added: ’So there is a lot to unpick there.’
The presenter, speaking on Zoe Ball’s BBC Radio 2 show on Saturday, added: ’So you go in with an open mind and learn loads over the 72 hours.
’The viewers love Sleep Over. It does well. I love Sleep Over. It is really fun and you sway back and forth throughout the episode.
‘You might have a very definite view the first 10-15 minutes and then you’re privy to information you haven’t even taken into consideration, and then by the end you sort of feel differently about things.’
As well as jobless mother-of-eight Marie Buchan, Stacey is featuring 23-year-old adult OnlyFans star Lily Phillips and the Drewitt-Barlow family, who were the first gay dads to father children legally in the UK.
The new series starts on August 25 on channels U&W.
Stacey is appearing with husband Kevin Clifton, former Strictly Come Dancing pro turned actor, in a nationwide tour of the hit play, supernatural thriller ‘2:22 A Ghost Story’ – and their daughter will travel with them on the road.
