I was on Rich House Poor House, the broke budget of £86 a week wouldn’t cover my tonic water bill at home
WHEN Maxine McCarthy agreed to go on Rich House Poor House it was on a whim.
Producers asked her when she happened to have a few days to spare and she took the plunge. And she’s glad she did.
The Channel Five show follows a multi-millionaire who swaps lives with a family on the breadline to see how the other half lives.
For Maxine, 43, going back to her Manchester roots not only helped the family she traded with but made her reflect on her own life.
Maxine’s lifestyle is undeniably enviable, regularly jetting between her mansions in Cyprus and Cheshire, both of which are the height of luxury.
Her Cheshire mansion is decorated with Versace wallpaper, she has an indoor pool, a gym, a room decorated in gold and even a karaoke room.
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She doesn’t have to think before she drops thousands on a new Range Rover – one of her recent purchases.
But despite her enormous wealth, Maxine says that her life is difficult.
Speaking exclusively to Fabulous, the business woman says: “My life is great in many ways – I don’t expect sympathy.
“But I’m under a lot of pressure to keep working to stay successful, it all rests on me.
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“I’m up at 5am every day, I don’t drink or smoke, my vice is work. I don’t enjoy it anymore but I can’t turn off the drive to succeed that’s innate in me.
“It causes me a lot of angst, I’ve got stress related alopecia, I’m losing my hair at the sides which is devastating, and I have a meltdown where I cry and retreat into myself every six weeks or so.
“But I get back up again and carry on.
“I’ve also been trolled mercilessly since we put my son’s £10,000 gender reveal party online.
“We had a Ferrari blowing out blue smoke and a small plane flying overhead with a banner announcing we were having a boy and people took against us.
“One man travelled to my house with the sole purpose of urinating on it, I’ve been chased by four masked men while I was driving my Lamborghini and there’s been an arson attack outside my business.
“There are pages on Facebook dedicated to analysing every moment of our lives. It’s terrifying and has blighted the last two years of our life.
“Most importantly my sons don’t get the undivided attention that they need.
"I’m there physically, but I’m often on automatic pilot as I’m multi-tasking and not actually listening to what they’re saying.”
It’s against this backdrop that Maxine appeared on the programme.
She swapped houses with Danny and Nicky, who work in low paid jobs after studying beauty and barbering, and their five children.
Maxine’s partner of three years James Davenport, 46, decided against doing it as he worried his involvement would stir up the trolls even more.
But her friend and employee Chor and her 18-month-old son, joined Maxine and her two sons, Maximus, five, and Roman King, two.
Maxine admits she was shocked when she first arrived on the council estate in Wythenshawe.
She says: “When I got to their rented three-bed no one thought I would stick it out.
“Their weekly budget of £86 is what I spend on tonic water in a week! I can easily get through £5,000 in that time, though for the programme it was capped at £1,500.
“I was judgemental when I arrived, I didn’t understand why they couldn’t find time to give a lick of paint to the walls and freshen the place up.”
Danny and Nicky had to sleep in the front room without a proper bed which made the mum aware of the reality the family were living in.
“I soon stopped judging and started admiring how well they cope,” she says.
“We all have struggles but they don’t have the luxury of being able to sit with a coffee and look out at sea to regroup – they have to carry on.”
She might be at home amongst the wealthy now but Maxine didn’t come from money.
She left school at 16 with six GCSEs but went on to be a professional boxer, retiring undefeated in 2013.
Their weekly budget of £86 is what I spend on tonic water in a week.
Maxine McCarthy
She attributes her business success to her boxing career saying it empowered her and gave her confidence.
Maxine discovered the aesthetics industry in 2009 after seeing an ad on Gumtree for training.
She attended the course, started her own practice and then founded Cosmetic Couture an aesthetic training business.
The mum says: “I didn’t get a leg up from anyone and I don’t believe in giving anyone anything for free – but I do like helping.”
She carried this ethic into Rich House Poor House.
She says: “There’s no point in handouts.
“A lump of cash doesn’t last forever. You have to give people the tools to make their own money.
“I was impressed by Danny and Nicky. They juggle work with caring for their disabled parents.
“They cope with everything life has thrown at them with a smile but they desperately need more time too.
“They made the most of the experience so I’ve helped them – not with money but with opportunities.#
I’ve also been trolled mercilessly since we put my son’s £10,000 gender reveal party online.
Maxine McCarthy
“I’ve given Nicky a place on the same training course that I did worth £2k so maybe she will follow in my footsteps!
“I introduced Danny to my old boxing trainer as he was into the sport too, I'm sponsoring him in a match and I've paid for his barbering apprenticeship.
“What impressed me most was how they spent my £1,500 budget - Nicky bought a laptop as an investment, they gave some money to charity and even gave me flowers to say thank you.
“We’re still in touch and it’s been life changing for them.”
And it has for Maxine too.
She says: “During the experiment I worked less. And my boys loved the time I spent with them, going to the park or reading them bedtime stories.
“Maximus couldn’t cope with the swap and left halfway through. He likes his routine and he didn’t even like the tap water – he’s used to bottled water!
“But he learnt from it – he realises how lucky he is with all his toys and the space we have.
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“And I’ve learnt. While I might be able to buy pretty much anything my time is more precious for my children.
“So that’s what I’m giving them now.”
