I won Big Brother & took home a huge cash prize – now I’m struggling to pay bills & I’m terrified I’ll lose my business
A BIG Brother winner has revealed that he is struggling to pay his bills - despite claiming the show's massive prize prize.
Luke Anderson won the popular series in 2012 and raked in £50,000 - but now can't keep up with the energy bills at his Welsh bakery as prices spiral.
He started his business, Cravin', in Mold, North Wales with his wife Jamie-Lee last year.
Amid the cost of living crisis, they have seen the shop's energy bills soar from £400 to £1,600 per month.
This means he'll have to earn around £50 a day just to cover energy costs.
The dad-of-two took to to express his shock, saying that rapid inflation will make high streets "empty and soulless" as businesses struggle to keep up.
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He wrote on : "To say we were shocked is an understatement. The general consensus with local small business owners is that the government doesn’t care about us family run shops.
"Very soon the high street will be empty and soulless because people would rather spend money in Starbucks or Costa."
He added that when they got the bill they thought it "must have been a typo".
The 41-year-old won £50,000 when host Brian Dowling announced his victory in Big Brother 2012.
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He beat out runner-up Adam Kelly to claim the prize.
At the time he said: "It's great to feel acceptance and I don't think its sunk it yet."
Originally South African but raised in Wales, he opened the business in his local community last year.
In his tweets he also made sure to address the aspects of the price crisis away from energy, writing: "Not only are the energy prices surging, we are also contending with the cost of butter doubling, flour and egg prices are soaring too. We are determined to keep our prices fair for our customers.
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"We have a tariff that is lower at [certain times] so I will have to resort to baking late into the evening instead of early mornings."
He even suggested he may have to use candles to light the shop in extreme circumstances.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING WITH BILLS
1. Look online to see if you are entitled to any support beyond the energy price guarantee.
2. Take a meter reading and check you aren't over-paying for your energy usage.
3. Contact your energy supplier and see if they have any support for struggling customers.
4. Similarly, many mortgage lenders will prefer to offer support rather than have you default on your loan.
5. Reduce energy usage where safe e.g. turning lights off when not in the room.
6. Contact Citizen's Advice for advice on your specific circumstances.
