MUM-OF-NINE Leah Williams is used to people stopping and staring when she's out with her brood, but what she will never get used to are the cruel assumptions people make about her big family.
The 41-year-old has had abuse in the street, with strangers calling her a scrounger, and wrongly assuming she lives on benefits and in a paid-for council house.
But she says they couldn't be more wrong – which is why Leah is speaking to Fabulous for We've Been Shamed, our exclusive new series.
Full-time mum Leah, lives in Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, with her Tesco shop assistant husband of 19 years Nick, 50, and their nine kids – Jacob, 22, Eleanor, 16, Evie, 13, Morgan, 11, Ben, eight, Frankie, seven, Vinnie, five, Emmie, three and Edith, 18 months.
The family live in a privately rented seven-bed semi-detached property, and Leah, who volunteers at the local school, says: "I've had some really nasty comments and people do make assumptions about me all the time.
"People assume we don't work and have never worked a day in our lives, and we must just sit around on benefits.
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"Luckily we live in a town where people know us and know it's not the case, but it's the assumption strangers make.
"People always think the kids are all squashed in one room because we don't have enough bedrooms, and they're all wearing secondhand rags and we must be terrible parents.
"It still does bother me and it's not nice, but not as much as it used to.
"If you have one child then people say that's wrong because they'll be lonely – so you might as well do what you want to do."
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4'I never thought about being a mum'
Leah didn't always envisage having such a big brood, and she was actually an only child herself.
She says: "When I was younger I never even thought about being a mum.
"I was an only child and my parents were both only children so we had a very, very small family and I had no siblings, aunts, uncles or cousins.
"Not growing up with children around me was quite lonely, and I spent a lot of time alone – so maybe that's why I love having a big family around me now!"
Becoming a single parent
Then at 18, while in college, Leah became pregnant with her first son, Jacob.
She says: "I got pregnant after a short term relationship which was a surprise, and ended up being a single mum.
"I loved being a mum but it was hard – no one gives you an instruction booklet, and I lived by myself too so it wasn't easy and I didn't think about having more kids.
"I decided if I met the right person I would maybe have more kids butI didn't want to be on my own again."
Leah then developed an eating disorder, and at her lowest she weighed just 5 stone 7lbs when she was 20 years old.
She was told by her GP it was likely she wouldn't be able to have any more kids.
Leah says: "He was wrong obviously, and he's still my GP now so we do have a laugh about I didn't feel it was a huge issue at the time to be honest – I already had one son and felt lucky I was a mum already.
"I had a baby at 19 and wasn't thinking about having more kids, so if I didn't have anymore children, it wasn't the end of the world."
'No more now'
Leah recovered, and then met husband Nick when she was 23 through work at the local supermarket, and they married a year later.
Leah says: "He had a daughter and was a single dad, and we were in the same boat and became friends and it just went from there.
"Nick suggested trying for a baby, and I didn't think I could but we decided to just see what happened.
"A month later after our wedding I was pregnant! I had Eleanor and then I went back to work full-time, looking after deaf and blind adults.
"We decided not to have anymore kids, and then Evie was a bit of a surprise baby!
"I even got a comment then, when I had three.
"A woman working in the local sweet shop said to me 'no more now' and actually reduced me to tears."
'It didn't stop me'
However, Leah loved the baby phase and being a mum – although she admits the comments did make her hesitate when it came to having more.
She says: "I went from not wanting any to being super broody!
"I just loved the baby stage and seeing each baby developing their own personality, and watching them grow into different people.
"But when we were thinking about having a fourth I actually did wonder if we should because of what people might say as I take it to heart but Nick didn't care, and it obviously didn't stop me!
"Then when we had Morgan, people assumed we wouldn't want anymore.
"But my mantra from then on has just become 'shall we have another one?' and the remarks have increased the more kids we had.
"Edith was our last baby and we did agree on that, but I would love another one so we shall see – never say never!"
'Haven't you had enough f***ing kids?'
However the family are subjected to criticism.
Leah says: "One man last year when we went to Blackpool when we were all walking down the road actually pulled over and shouted 'haven't you had enough f***ing children?' at us.
"I was stunned, especially shouting something like that in front of the kids.
"We've had to just learn not to take any notice and I try not to go on social media too much as you can be the nicest person in the world and someone will still have something negative to say.
"It's just odd how people assume these things about you, just from the amount of children that you have.
"People assume we're on benefits and live in a house the council have given us, and that we've 'taken away a house from someone else who might need it' but people that we know, know that's not the case.
"Even if it was the case, it's got nothing to do with them anyway."
'They never miss out'
Leah admits money is of course tight on just Nick's income, and while the family have child support benefits, they have to carefully budget.
Leah says: "We get child support like everyone does, and that covers essentials like school uniforms and shoes, and school trips and music lessons, football training and clubs.
"Nick works for Tesco so we get discount on our shopping, and I'll use Tesco vouchers and buy annual passes I pay for monthly for day trips to theme parks or the pleasure beach.
"I make a conscious effort to ensure never miss out. They don't walk around in designer gear but they have everything they need and more, and they certainly don't go without."
'Birthdays and Christmas are expensive!'
Of course, having a big family isn't cheap.
The family have two cars including a nine seater people carrier and Leah easily gets through a loaf of bread a day making packed lunches, with their weekly shop costing up to £200 a week – but they plan ahead to cater for special occasions.
People say we're scrounging off the government, but we know it's not true and it's nothing to do with them."
Leah – who plans to go back to work when her youngest is in pre-school – says: "We've lived in our house for years so our rent is reasonable, but we do have to be careful – the electricity is £12 a day at the moment.
"Birthdays and Christmas are expensive but we just don't buy lots of rubbish.
"We ask them to write down something they really want and a few things they'd like and within reason we get those.
"I start Christmas shopping in January and buy one a month and I save throughout the year for it.
"Then for holidays, we usually stay in the country and we have a great time – we're still making memories together as a family.
"People say we're scrounging off the government, but we know it's not true and it's nothing to do with them anyway.
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"It can be upsetting, but everyone always has something to say about anyone.
"As long as the children are happy and looked after and paid for, then what's the problem?"
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