A single mom of four has heartbreakingly declared that she can't afford Christmas this year - and she is surviving by eating the food that her children leave.
Victoria Walker from Bath in the UK revealed that she doesn't have the money to pay for her own meals due to the seemingly ever-increasing cost of living.
As reported by the Guardian in November, food prices in the UK soared at the fastest rate on record with fresh food having a year-on-year increase of 13.3%.
This coincides with energy bills skyrocketing, with Sky News reporting that the average household could be paying upwards of $5000 a year in energy costs.
The cost of living crisis has meant Victoria Walker no longer has enough money to pay for her own meals. https://t.co/yRUpnPnhPU
— ITV News (@itvnews) December 19, 2022
With Christmas only a few days away, some families will have to be more conservative with gifts and celebrations this year due to financial constraints.
Speaking to ITV News, Victoria revealed the heartbreaking situation that sees her eating leftover food from her children's plates, as well as being unable to afford Christmas.
"Unless I really have to, I won't eat," Victoria said. "I fill myself up with tea and coffee. I like the children to eat so I tend to have the leftovers."
She also said that the situation has become so tough recently that her 11-year-old daughter has offered up her pocket money to help pay for the essentials.
"It just makes me sad. It breaks my heart. Christmas is looking sad for me. I can't afford Christmas," Victoria added.
She went on to discuss child poverty in the UK, and how it is often an overlooked problem. " [It's] important for us to open our eyes to the problems that are happening on our doorstep," she said.
"Sometimes when we think of poverty we don't always think it's happening in the UK but child poverty is so prominent now more than ever and it's heartbreaking that it's happening in a country like ours."
Action for Children, a charity created in the UK to help vulnerable children and their families has been on hand to support Victoria in her time of need.
Speaking to ITV, Helen Stockwell - a spokesperson for the charity - said: "I have families who can't get coats for the children and can't afford to keep their children warm.
"People are genuinely really worried about what's coming," she concluded.
The cost of living has been increasing across the UK since early 2021, with rising inflation as well as the cost of energy bills and skyrocketing interest rates having left many families far worse off than they were before.