Mum-of-four Stacey Solomon has said that receiving government benefits as a single mother aged 17 '"saved her life".
Speaking on Friday's episode of Loose Women, Stacey, 32, said she was given financial aid to help with a new baby, under a scheme which is no longer available.
Stacey shared: "I was given a Sure Start Grant, which is what it was called at the time, and I can't tell you how much that saved my life.
"My working tax credits saved our lives, we could not have got by without those."
She continued: "The milk tokens that we used to get, to help us buy SMA and milk and stuff from the shops that we couldn't afford."
Sure Start was an initiative set up under the previous Labour government.
Since the Conservatives came into power, funding for Sure Start was cut by two-thirds and 500 centres were closed down by 2017.
Reflecting on the current situation, Stacey continued: "All of that got abolished, some of my friends who are in similar circumstances now, don't even have those opportunities. They're completely taken away from people."
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Stacey concluded by saying it was "too little too late" as she touched on the idea of the government rolling out £400 to families as an "energy grant".
The popular TV presenter has previously spoken about her struggles as a single mum, before rising to fame via The X Factor.
Speaking to You Magazine back in November, Stacey admitted that abortion was an option she considered – as she felt her life would "be over".
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She decided against it and is also now a mother to three more children, Leighton, nine, Rex, 24 months and Rose, six months.
Stacey is also a step-mum to fiance Joe Swash’s 13-year-old son Harry.
As well as returning to the Loose Women panel, Stacey has just started a new role as co-host of Bake Off: The Professionals, alongside Liam Charles.
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