Loose Women regular Judi Love says things got so tough before she found fame that she had just a tiny amount in the bank and she could barely afford to celebrate Christmas.
Judi once she went through such a challenging time that her children had to go without presents The comedian and panellist, who single parents her 18-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son, says she knows how those struggling at this time of the year feel.
"Christmas came, and I had something like £87. I had these two kids, I had the bills and my debts that accumulated from just trying to take care of my kids - I wasn’t out partying … I just wanted to look after my kids," she said during an episode. "My mum had passed by then, so there was no, ‘Mummy, can you square me at 50’ or whatever. It was just really, really frightening.”
Thankfully, with some help and support from a loan firm, Judi was able to get a handle on her debts and her life back on track, but he never forgot the difficult situation she was in, with her honest admission also helping to offer solidarity to others who were in the same situation now.
Judi, 43, opened up to OK! Magazine about the importance of looking after yourself as a single parent. She said: "Honestly, I like to date myself - whether it be a trip to a spa, go for a nice meal, whatever. It’s important to love yourself. Self-love is so underrated, it allows you to learn what your standards and boundaries are."
Her co-star Brenda Edwards has also opened up on the previous debt she incurred and admitted she kept it a secret from her husband. She said: "I've spoken about the debt that I had and it was thousands. It was a college debt from years ago but I went into a marriage with it and I didn't tell my ex-husband about it because it was my debt and I wanted to take care of it."
"It was the interest! And I didn't realise at the time when I took it out in college that the interest was something like 38%, so I was always paying off the interest and not the debt. It just got worse and worse which was very upsetting and then a friend helped me out and gave me a lump sum because they're giving me the lump sum to pay off everything." When asked if she told anyone about her financial issues at the time, Brenda confirmed that she didn't.
She said: "No, I didn't talk to anybody about it! Not the kids, not my ex, not anybody. I just wanted to deal with it and I dealt with it but that's why I don't do credit cards." The conversation then led Linda Robson to share her own personal story too.
