A TikTok mom who previously boasted about receiving £2K UK benefits living abroad is now being “fed rats” in a Thai prison after overstaying her visa.
British TikToker Ellis Matthews has revealed her arrest in Thailand for overstaying her visa, disputing viral claims that she funded her luxurious life abroad using UK government benefits.
The single mother, who gained attention on TikTok for flaunting her “dream life” in Southeast Asia, now finds herself in a dire situation in a Bangkok jail, which she describes as “hell on earth.”
Matthews and her four-year-old son, Cairo, have been detained in an overcrowded prison cell shared with 16 other women and their children. The facility has poor sanitation, lice infestations, and limited resources.
“My skin is covered in rashes, both me and my son have got lice, terrible insect bites and there’s rats running around,” she told MailOnline. She claims they survive on lumpy rice and “rat or pigeon” meat while enduring constant noise and stifling heat.
TikToker says she never got UK benefits while in Thailand
Matthews’ arrest followed accusations of human trafficking and child abuse, which she attributes to misinformation spread by her TikTok videos.
In those videos, she claimed to receive £2,300 per month in UK benefits for “six mental disorders” to fund her life abroad. Now, the 32-year-old admits the claims were fabricated to boost her follower count and monetize her account.
“These videos were just a joke. The truth is that I never got any UK benefits while in Thailand, not a single penny,” she told MailOnline. “I was just lying in my videos to get more followers and make some money.”
The TikToker previously appeared on ‘Judge Rinder’ claiming to have squandered a £6 million fortune, but she admitted that was all made up as well. However, she says it is true she once received £1.6 million from a lawsuit against Lancashire authorities, which she has since spent.
Matthews claims she can’t buy a plane ticket back to the UK due to restricted access on her bank account. While Thai authorities say she can leave upon securing a ticket, Matthews is worried social services might take her son if she returns.
“All I want is to live peacefully with my baby,” she said, adding that she would prefer to move to Cambodia or Turkey, despite Thai officials insisting she can only return to the UK as a British national.
The TikToker has even suggested revoking her British citizenship to avoid returning, vowing to fight for her future and her child’s well-being.
Content shared from www.dexerto.com.