Penniless Gogglebox star left homeless preferred life | UK News

Former Gogglebox favorite Sandra Martin has admitted she “prefers” life on advantages and admitted life was less nerve-racking. The 55-year-old, who shot to fame alongside best mate Sandi Bogle on the hit Channel 4 couch show, revealed she was pressured to signal back on in February of 2018 after money from her TV work dried up. Her credit included actuality sequence 100 Years Younger in 21 Days and numerous chat show appearances, but Sandra said the work never lasted.

After quitting Gogglebox in 2017, she moved into a lodge to spend the last of her earnings. By Christmas of that 12 months, she confessed she was “homeless and penniless”, struggling to make ends meet.

In 2018, Sandra told The Sun: “I went back to the job centre and shouted, ‘Hello! I’m home!’ I was on benefits for 35 years before I went on Gogglebox. I’m glad I’m back on social. I loved Gogglebox, but it was stressful because I couldn’t talk as much as I wanted, when I wanted.”

Now, she says she feels more at ease residing on handouts than chasing TV fame despite critics stating her frequent posts about jetting off on holidays.

Sandra added: “I turned to advantages when the money ran out. It’s less nerve-racking. I really feel like myself again.”

Back in January of this year, Sandra faced further backlash after refusing to sit in a plane’s middle seat because she claimed to be a “celeb”. The former fan-favourite took to social media to share her displeasure at being allocated the middle seat.

Travelling on a Ryanair flight when she discovered she would be sitting between two other passengers, Sandra shared a video from inside the plane’s cabin as she stood in the aisle in protest.

She told fans: “There’s no particular person there, I’m not exhibiting your face and there’s one particular person there and they need me to sit there. No, I’m a celeb… I’m Sandra Gogglebox. I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!”

“I can’t sit in that spot. No, I can not breathe, I’m gonna faint, I’m gonna fart.” Sandra told fans she was waiting until boarding was finished to see if there was a spare alternative seat.

In a kind gesture, her neighbour eventually agreed to swap places and Sandra took the aisle seat for the flight. However, fans were left furious and flooded the former Channel 4 star with comments, as one wrote: “Who told you that you are a celeb?”