NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • Deloitte Fast 50
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Lifestyle

Rich House Poor House swap: Millionaire dad humbled, moved to tears

Daily Mail
17 Oct, 2017 07:45 AM9 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
/
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time -0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • subtitles settings, opens subtitles settings dialog
    • subtitles off, selected

      This is a modal window.

      Playback Denied: Unavailable

      Error Code: VIDEO_CLOUD_ERR_VIDEO_NOT_PLAYABLE
      Technical details :
      Video is not currently available for playback.
      Session ID: 2025-08-13:80f651dd893b9b68acf07949 Player Element ID: vjs_video_5614701932001

      Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

      Text
      Text Background
      Caption Area Background
      Font Size
      Text Edge Style
      Font Family

      End of dialog window.

      This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.

      Autoplay in
      2
      Disable Autoplay
      Cancel Video
      The Leamon family were in shock as they arrived at the Fiddes family mansion. Source: Channel 5 / Rich House, Poor House

      When Kim Leamon and her husband, Andy, stepped into the shoes of a British millionaire family for a week, it wasn't the vastness of their mansion that shocked them most.

      Or the fact that their 'garden' ran to 60 acres and included an orchard and horses. Or the gleaming Bentley that was theirs to drive.

      What floored them were the contents of the grocery delivery that arrived, the Daily Mail reported.

      Being canny shoppers, used to eking out a £40-a-week (NZ$74-a-week) budget to feed a family of four, the Leamons baulked at how much the Fiddes family - their 'house-swap' partners - spent on their main supermarket shop in one week.

      And given the Fiddeses' love of eating out in fancy restaurants and ordering in expensive takeaways, this wasn't even their full food bill.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      "They spent nearly £200! (NZ$370)" says Kim, 32. "The most shocking thing was that they'd ordered six packs of avocados - with two in each pack. Who needs so many? The avocados alone were £16.20 (NZ$29). That's more than my son's school shoes cost!"

      The Leamon and the Fiddes families are participants in a new series of Channel 5's Rich House, Poor House in the UK, which sees a family from the richest 10 per cent of British society swap homes (and lives) with a family from the poorest 10 per cent.

      Andy and Kim Leamon with their children Freddie, 10, and Olivia, 8. Photo / Channel 5
      Andy and Kim Leamon with their children Freddie, 10, and Olivia, 8. Photo / Channel 5

      But this house-swap is markedly different from any others that have come before.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Living such an extravagant life - and avocados are only the start of it - the Fiddes family were humbled to step into the shoes of the Leamon family where dad Andy works night shifts so he can earn a modest salary of around £1000 (NZ$1850) a month - or 740 avocados - and care for his disabled wife.

      In fact, the whole programme provides a compelling lesson in what money can - and cannot - buy.

      On camera, millionaire Matt Fiddes is moved to tears when he compares his parenting skills with Andy's, and finds himself lacking. Money, he concludes, cannot buy a happy family life.

      "I think Andy is a superhero," he says. "His kids worship him. He puts everyone else before himself.

      Discover more

      Lifestyle

      Don't tell your kids they're clever

      14 Oct 02:43 AM
      Lifestyle

      The true cost of a child's birthday party

      16 Oct 07:14 PM
      Business

      Home buyers' 'heartbreak': Banks tighten belts

      17 Oct 12:16 AM
      Lifestyle

      Prince Harry meets 'amazingly brave' children

      17 Oct 03:08 AM

      "He looks after his wife, does everything around the house - and holds down a job. If this experiment has taught me one thing it's that I want to be more like him. I got to spend the whole week with my kids, which is unusual. They don't want your money - they want your time."

      Both families had their eyes opened during their experience.

      Kim was shocked to discover that even spending £200 (NZ$370) on groceries - including fine wines and steak - did not cover the basics.

      "I had to go out and buy things for the kids' lunches," she reveals.

      So did she enjoy being able to eat top-end groceries? Apparently not.

      "I couldn't help but feel that if I'd been given £200 to spend on groceries, I could have made it go so much further. I could have shopped for the month," she says.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Husband Andy, 33, agrees. "I guess when you don't have to worry about money, you just don't care what you spend."

      Matt Fiddes, 37, runs a chain of 700 martial arts schools and was a millionaire by the time he was 21.

      He was a one-time friend and bodyguard to Michael Jackson, and "moved in those circles", thinking it normal to have private jets, designer wardrobes and more bathrooms than you can ever use.

      While he hasn't exactly got his own private Neverland, Matt's tastes do veer towards the blingtastic.

      Moniqe Fiddes has a go at the dishes at the Leamons' house. Photo / Channel 5
      Moniqe Fiddes has a go at the dishes at the Leamons' house. Photo / Channel 5

      With a business empire worth a reported £30 million (NZ$55 million), he lives in a lavish six-bedroom home in the Wiltshire countryside.

      The gravel drive houses not just his Bentley, but his top-of-the-range Land Rover and wife Moniqe's Range Rover.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Moniqe, 24, a glamorous former singer from South Africa, has a vast wardrobe of designer clothes and a cleaner to make her stay-at-home-mum role easier.

      The couple's sons, Hero, 1, and Zack, 4, and Matt's daughters Lola, 11 and Savannah, 10, from his first marriage, have only to ask for branded trainers for them to appear.

      "I do spoil them, particularly the girls, because I wasn't around a lot when they were little," he admits.

      The couple's attitude to money? It's perhaps best summed up by Matt's admission that he keeps banknotes in the door pocket of his car, "and if a few tenners fly out, I wouldn't be bothered running after them".

      The Leamons, on the other hand, watch every penny. Kim can no longer work, following an accident a few years ago, and suffers from a condition called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, which leaves her unable to walk for more than a few yards. She gets around using crutches and a borrowed wheelchair.

      Andy's very modest salary supports the couple and children Freddie, 10, and Olivia, 8. He works in an emergency call centre for the elderly, mostly doing night shifts so he can act as a full-time carer for his wife.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      The Leamons constantly worry about the mortgage payments on their home - a three-bedroom terraced house on a Southampton council estate. And not being able to feed their children in the run up to payday is a genuine fear.

      Freddie and Olivia Leamon enjoy playing around in the 60 acres of garden. Photo / Channel 5
      Freddie and Olivia Leamon enjoy playing around in the 60 acres of garden. Photo / Channel 5

      "We signed up for the show because it would mean one week of not having to worry about bills," Andy says.

      "It was everything to be financially stable for a week. Filming was the week before payday, too. Good timing."

      Critics will doubtless say the show's concept is cruel. After all, at the end of the week each family goes back to their own lives.

      For the Leamons in particular, this must have been difficult.

      "We saw it as a holiday," Andy confides. "The chance of a lifetime, to live as millionaires."

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      The rules of the show are simple. Each family moves into the other's home, and is handed their spending money for the week.

      After their mortgage and bills are accounted for, the Leamons are left with £170 a week to spend (on food, clothes and socialising), so this is what the Fiddes family have at their disposal.

      Their shock is palpable. "That would just about fill my fuel tank in the car," says Matt.

      The Leamon family take much longer counting out their spending money.

      Andy is left reeling to discover it comes to £1500 (NZ$2770).

      "That's more than I earn in a month. And they have that for a week," he tells me. "I could have cried."

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      So, now they are back home, how did each family find the experiment?

      Andy and Kim admit that, on the surface at least, they had a blast.

      They got to go out for an unheard-of meal together, sampled caviar (not worth the money, it seems) and tried not to faint when the bill arrived (£254 - NZ$470).

      Matt and Moniqe Fiddes with their daughters Lola, 11, and Savannah, 10 and sons Zack, 4 and Hero, 1. Photo / Channel 5
      Matt and Moniqe Fiddes with their daughters Lola, 11, and Savannah, 10 and sons Zack, 4 and Hero, 1. Photo / Channel 5

      "I got to drive a Bentley, which was a dream come true," says Andy. "When you put your foot down, it purrs - it actually purrs."

      Kim, meanwhile, was taken aback by the house.

      "It was stunning," she says. "I'll probably never be in a house like it again. But it was too big - with my mobility problems, I simply couldn't get around it."

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      What did she make of Moniqe's wardrobe? Kim chooses her words carefully.

      "She can afford to splash out and is obviously someone who cares a lot about clothes and make-up. I don't, and I don't think I would even if I could afford to."

      Then there's the garden. It makes for emotional viewing watching Kim sit (in a hired mobility scooter, which they could never afford in the 'real' world) looking over the rolling countryside that makes up the Fiddeses' back garden.

      "I don't want to leave," she says. "This view makes you feel as though you have no worries in the world."

      By contrast, the cramped living conditions at the Leamons' home visibly stun the Fiddes family.

      "My kids and my wife are used to living in a big house in the countryside. They've never had neighbours," explains Matt.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      On arrival, he has to explain the basics. "These are terraced houses,' he says, as his kids (and wife) seem to think they have landed on another planet.

      "On the first night, no one slept very much," Matt tells me. "There was a lot of noise - people outside, shouting, smoking, music playing. There were sirens overhead. Moniqe was scared. I ended up sleeping on the sofa, just in case."

      There are other adjustments to be made - on both sides. While the Leamons struggle with the fact they have a choice of bathrooms, the Fiddes family seem horrified to have only one.

      When Moniqe cannot get hot water for her shower, Matt blows £50 (NZ$90) of their tiny budget on an emergency plumber.

      "There was so much that needed fixing in the bathroom. And outside the patio slabs were unsafe," he says. "That got to me: the idea that these people couldn't afford to get stuff like that fixed, and had to live with it."

      Kim, meanwhile, gets to see how the other half live when she takes her daughter shopping for new clothes - a rare event. Rarer still is that she can afford to pay £63 (NZ$116) for two dresses.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      "To see how happy Olivia was with her new dresses was incredible," she says.

      So what do she and Andy buy for themselves? Nothing. Old habits die hard. Though they do splash some considerable cash on a day at a theme park.

      Back with the Fiddeses, while Moniqe makes a good stab at feeding her family on a budget, it's clear how little Matt usually does on the domestic front.

      During their five-year marriage, Moniqe reveals, he has never cleaned a dish or cooked a meal.

      This quickly becomes apparent. "How do you make the foam?" he asks, when asked to wash the dishes.

      But the big question, of course, is whether each family would want to swap with the other permanently? Not surprisingly, the Fiddes family say they were thrilled to get back to their own lavish abode.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      And the Leamons? While Andy says he could get used to that sort of lifestyle ("I'd have the car in a flash"), Kim is not so sure.

      "I'd say I love my own home, but maybe with a bit of their sort of money I'd do it up," she says.

      "To be able to afford a stairlift would be nice."

      Save
        Share this article

      Latest from Lifestyle

      New Zealand

      Why do Cambodian bakers make the best pies in NZ?

      Premium
      Lifestyle

      Advice: I’m middle-aged and still care what people think - how can I stop?

      Premium
      Olympics

      Gymnastics stigma: Athlete speaks out on menstruation challenges


      Sponsored

      Sponsored: What have you missed? Tips and tricks for home DIY

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Recommended for you

      How Ryan Fox can earn a spot in PGA Tour Championship
      Golf

      How Ryan Fox can earn a spot in PGA Tour Championship

      'They had their troubles': Friends shaken after woman fatally shot by police, man critical
      Crime

      'They had their troubles': Friends shaken after woman fatally shot by police, man critical

      Relief in Juneau as wall holds against flood
      World

      Relief in Juneau as wall holds against flood

      Missed out on Powerball jackpot? Three tickets from one region won $333k
      New Zealand

      Missed out on Powerball jackpot? Three tickets from one region won $333k

      Rate cutting merry-go-round: Third major bank cuts mortgage rates
      Business

      Rate cutting merry-go-round: Third major bank cuts mortgage rates

      Water showdown: Mayor's affordability plea rejected
      Whanganui Chronicle

      Water showdown: Mayor's affordability plea rejected



      Latest from Lifestyle

      Why do Cambodian bakers make the best pies in NZ?
      New Zealand

      Why do Cambodian bakers make the best pies in NZ?

      Patrick Lam, an eight-time winner, learned baking from his brother-in-law in 1997.

      13 Aug 08:12 PM
      Premium
      Premium
      Advice: I’m middle-aged and still care what people think - how can I stop?
      Lifestyle

      Advice: I’m middle-aged and still care what people think - how can I stop?

      13 Aug 07:00 PM
      Premium
      Premium
      Gymnastics stigma: Athlete speaks out on menstruation challenges
      Olympics

      Gymnastics stigma: Athlete speaks out on menstruation challenges

      13 Aug 06:00 PM


      Sponsored: What have you missed? Tips and tricks for home DIY
      Sponsored

      Sponsored: What have you missed? Tips and tricks for home DIY

      03 Aug 07:46 AM

      NZ Herald
      • About NZ Herald
      • Meet the journalists
      • Newsletters
      • Classifieds
      • Help & support
      • Contact us
      • House rules
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of use
      • Competition terms & conditions
      • Our use of AI
      Subscriber Services
      • NZ Herald e-editions
      • Daily puzzles & quizzes
      • Manage your digital subscription
      • Manage your print subscription
      • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
      • Subscribe to Herald Premium
      • Gift a subscription
      • Subscriber FAQs
      • Subscription terms & conditions
      • Promotions and subscriber benefits
      NZME Network
      • The New Zealand Herald
      • The Northland Age
      • The Northern Advocate
      • Waikato Herald
      • Bay of Plenty Times
      • Rotorua Daily Post
      • Hawke's Bay Today
      • Whanganui Chronicle
      • Viva
      • NZ Listener
      • Newstalk ZB
      • BusinessDesk
      • OneRoof
      • Driven Car Guide
      • iHeart Radio
      • Restaurant Hub
      NZME
      • About NZME
      • NZME careers
      • Advertise with NZME
      • Digital self-service advertising
      • Book your classified ad
      • Photo sales
      • NZME Events
      • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
      TOP
      search by queryly Advanced Search