Pregnant again, the mother of 12 living on £40k benefits
RAKING in around £40,000 a year in benefits for her brood of 12 children, Cheryl Prudham was branded Britain’s Most Shameless Mother in a television documentary.
Now she is expecting baby number 13 – meaning her state handouts including housing and child benefit will rise again.
The 34-year- old, who has boasted that she will have ‘as many children as I like’, became pregnant again by jobless Lee Ball, 29, a few months after they got together.
Mrs Prudham, who dumped husband Robert last year amid claims he had an affair, confirmed the news to friends after her pregnancy passed the 12-week mark.
She posted a picture on social media showing her in a park accompanied by Mr Ball, who patted her baby bump. Mrs Prudham also shared a picture of her with Mr Ball, showing her positive test result. He will be the fourth man with whom she will have a child.
Despite being featured in Channel 5 documentary Britain’s Most Shameless Mother in 2015, Mrs Prudham has been defiant about her ‘beautiful family’.
She told the programme: ‘Apparently, we get so much in benefits and I get called benefit scrounger, baby machine. But it’s my body and I’ll have as many children as I like. I’ll have 20 if I want.’
She and her partner are both ‘ over the moon’ about her pregnancy, according to a source close to the family. ‘Cheryl fell pregnant very quickly after the relationship started a few months ago and they both wanted a baby,’ the source told The Sun.
‘Lee has a young daughter of his own already and is looking for work.’ The source added: ‘ He doesn’t live with her at the moment but if things go well and with the baby on the way it could happen.’
Mrs Prudham now lives on a council estate in Warrington, Cheshire. She previ- ously lived in Skelmersdale, Lancashire, with delivery driver Mr Prudham.
In the past Mrs Prudham has cost taxpayers more than £39,000 a year in benefits. Her new baby is due in the summer and will entitle her to £712 of child benefits a year plus other handouts.
She had six children with Mr Prudham – Tillie- Grace Ellen, now one; twins LexyRose and Lacey-May, two; Lainey, four; Lenny, five; Leon, six. She also has six children by two other fathers – Madison, eight; Millie, nine; Maisie, ten; Caitlin, 12; Jack, 15; George, now 17.
After Tillie-Grace was born, Mrs Prudham said: ‘I’m addicted to having babies.’