A petition has been set up to sanction the benefits of a mother-of-twelve who caused controversy by seeking a sperm donor to have another child.
Cheryl Prudham, 33, who hopes to conceive through artificial insemination, appeared on This Morning to present her side of the debate. When Phillip Schofield questioned her 'unapologetic' attitude towards her tax payer funding, she replied 'I've got nothing to be sorry for'.
However, viewers are now campaigning for the amount of money Cheryl receives to be sanctioned, claiming that she's 'selfish' and 'disgusting'.
On the Change.org page, creator Siobhan Titzell writes, 'This woman gets overall £40,000 from the state and has been on more holidays than I have the past few years and has been parading around in designer goods I can only dream of. However just think what that £40,000 could achieve elsewhere.'
'There are families up and down the country that are crying out for children and are having to either save every penny they have for IVF or sadly give up trying because they can't afford treatment or have suffered heartbreak due to a miscarriage where as this woman is using these children as a selfish weapon for her own gain.'
'This woman works under 16 hours so that she avoids the benefits cap so she is clearly fit to work whilst others are not so fortunate I am all for the benefit system as it helps people in so many ways but when it is being used for cosmetic surgery and not being but towards your children to feed them and clothe them I see this as abuse.'
More than 9,000 people have signed the petition to sanction Cheryl's benefits, after she admitted having designer clothing and taking her family on several holidays
During her segment on the ITV show, when asked whether there was a limit on the number of children she hoped to having in the future, Cheryl explained, 'No. I'm addicted to having babies. Now that Tillie is nearly a year old I am broody.
'I don't care what men think. I'm not interested in men at all. I would love a sperm donor. I literally want a jar. None of the fathers pay for their children anyway so I might as well have a sperm donor.'
'I want another baby but not another man in my life and I've had offers as well.'
'I would struggle to sleep at night,' said Holly Willoughby, in reference about the amount of money Cheryl receives in benefits, giving the instance of parents of children with disabilities, and similarly, children who are carers for their parents.
'You know how important your kids are to you. That person with a young carer. That child is equally important to them. But they haven't got their money, because where is it going? Into your pocket,' she added.
Cheryl is mum to George, 15, Jack, 12, Caitlin, eight, Maisie, seven, Lillie, five, Madison, four, Leon, three, Lenny, two, Lainey, one, twins Lacey-May and Lexie Rose, born in autumn last year, and youngest daughter Tillie, but says she would love to expand her family
However, Cheryl, who works 16 hours a week as a cleaner to avoid the benefits cap, responded, 'It doesn't all go into my pocket though, let's be honest.
'I think about my own family. I'm not the one who makes up the rules. I see it there are 12 future taxpayers.'
She added that while she doesn't see her children as a source of income, 'if the government are going to give extra benefits I'll take them.'
Phillip and Holly also quizzed the mum-of-twelve about her spending habits, after she spoke about her Mulberry bag and intention to get a breast enlargement, to which she said: 'I've had no cosmetic surgery but a boob job is what I'd really love to have. The Mulberry bag was for Mother's Day. Lots of women out there have boob jobs.'
The story divided This Morning's audience, many of whom took to Twitter to share their thoughts:
What do you think of Cheryl's goal of having another child? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.
