Wannabe solicitor bonds with family-of-five, despite missing her regular Deliveroo takeaways
A Cardiff University law student who grew up in an eight-bedroom Exeter mansion with 12 bathrooms has given up her luxurious lifestyle for a weekend in the latest episode of Rich Kids Go Skint.
The Channel 5 reality TV show, which sees six young adults forego their privileged lives to share a home with families living on the breadline, documented the experience of the 19-year-old law and French student, known as Devon, as she stayed with the Gibbons family-of-five in a three-bedroom terrace house in Lincoln.
The episode saw Devon adjust to a frugal lifestyle. The Russell Group rookie, who receives a £500 monthly allowance from her parents, usually spends between £50-£100 a week on Deliveroo food takeaways. But during the show she experienced living hand-to-mouth as she was tasked with cooking up a meal with a mere £5 budget.
The student, who hopes to become solicitor, also found her new sleeping arrangements a challenge, swapping her king-sized bedroom and three personal bathrooms for a night on the sofa in the small house.
It was a drastic change for Devon, a shopping lover and daughter of a millionaire, who explained: “I wouldn’t say I have to worry about money, my parents could always back me up, I don’t have to be cautious about it.”
By contrast, viewers learn that the host family struggle to get make ends meet with just £54 left per month after food and bills. They are also in £3,000 worth of debt.
But despite their different backgrounds, Devon and the Gibbons family bonded, pledging to keep in touch on Facebook after the show.
Devon described her experience as “eye-opening” as she learnt how the Gibbons family live. At the end of her short-stay, she said: “I think I’ll take away the fact that I am very lucky, and I need to appreciate that a bit more and realise that not everyone is lucky enough to live the way I live.”