22 Kids and Counting star Katie Radford was forced to take drastic measures after finding herself in financial trouble.
Ms Radford, the eighth child of Sue and Noel Radford, parents of Britain's biggest family, made the candid admission in the latest episode of the Channel 5 programme.
The 22-year-old opened up about how she found herself in debt shortly after the birth of her first child last year.
Unfortunately, the new mother and her ex-boyfriend, Connor Carter, have since split up, with the latest episode filmed not long after their son, Ronnie, was born in October 2024.
22 Kids and Counting's Katie Radford found herself in debt as a new mother
|CHANNEL 5
The former couple lived in a small flat close to the Radford family home in Morecambe.
However, Sunday's show saw the young mother confess she had been overspending and struggling to adapt to the financial demands of motherhood.
"I have £700 for rent, council tax, gas, electric, water bill, that can all come up to £600 a month, so it is quite tough," she shared.
Ms Radford continued: "I am getting a lot of bills. I’ll pay them as soon as I can, but just not right now.
"I am afraid to open them. You see all these people with all this stuff, and you're like, 'I want that as well.'
"So then you get it, even if you can't afford it, you get it, just to fit in. In the end, I feel like I can't match up, so I'm failing."
The Channel 5 star continued: "There's a brown envelope and I'm pretty sure that means you owe money."
She also detailed how she was behind on an £850 water bill, as well as a £50 Wi-Fi payment and a £160 gas and electric bill, with a £250 council tax bill also due.
Adding that she was also forking out £250 for car insurance and that her card had been declined while she was shopping, she eventually came to a harsh realisation.
"That's a lot of money. This letter says I missed my payment," she reflected.
"This has made me realise that having a baby does change the way you spend your money. I can't carry on spending money the way I did before I went on maternity; something needs to change.
"I can't give Ronnie the lifestyle I'd like to. I don't know what’s going to happen.
Katie Radford admitted on 22 Kids and Counting she had struggled financially after the birth of her son
|"We can't put this off any longer. I'm the only one that can fix this. I don’t want to be in debt anymore.
"I don't want the fear of having someone knock on the door or bringing a letter. Enough is enough."
Ms Radford decided to return her car to the finance company, explaining: "It was a tough decision, but it was the right one.
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Katie Radford recently split from her boyfriend, Connor
|"I've been thinking what mum and dad would do, and dad would say, 'Spend what you earn.'
"I guess I tried to buy the world for Ronnie - I paid too much attention to what I think I should have, but at the end of the day, all I need is a smile from Ronnie, and that costs me nothing.
"I am very proud of myself with how resilient I've been and dealt with all of this on my own."