Scarlett Moffatt’s mother is receiving therapy after allegedly taking ‘thousands’ from her daughter’s accounts to fund her gambling addiction.
Gogglebox star Betty Moffatt reportedly checked into rehab after Scarlett, 30, discovered her mum had secretly taken thousands of pounds from her accounts as she went deeper into debt.
According to The Sun, Betty, 50, began gambling online due to boredom in lockdown, but her habit began to spiral out of control and she began losing ‘thousands every week’.
After becoming ‘desperate and panicky’, Betty allegedly took money from Scarlett’s account in the hopes that she would win it all back.
A source said: ‘Of course, she never did win the money and the next thing she knew, Scarlett realised her account was missing tens of thousands, and was horrified.
‘Initially she didn’t understand and obviously felt betrayed and confused.
‘But once Betty broke down and explained what had happened Scarlett couldn’t have been more supportive.’
The publication reports that Scarlett and Betty’s husband Mark, 54, have rallied around Betty to give her support, and that Betty is undergoing therapy.
Experts believe there are 340,000 gambling addicts in the UK, with a further two million at risk.
The charity Gambling with Lives states that nearly half of all people playing casino games online are addicted or at risk of a gambling addiction.
Mother-of-two Betty owns shares in her eldest daughter’s company Northern Unicorn Productions, with the latest accounts for the company – which is registered at Betty and Mark’s address – showing that it holds £211,000.
It paid dividends of £240,000 last year, £240,000 in 2019 and £448,000 in 2018 to directors, of which Scarlett is the only one.
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! winner Scarlett is very close with her family, and has called Betty her ‘mamager’ in the past.
Scarlett, Betty and Mark shot to fame in 2014 when they joined the cast of Channel 4’s Gogglebox, and quickly became one of the most popular families on the show.
Scarlett left the show in 2016 after being crowned Queen of the Jungle, and went on to bag presenting roles on I’m a Celebrity: Extra Camp, Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway and Streetmate, as well as ad work with fashion brands including Peacocks, book deals and a fitness DVD.
After being able to pay off her parents’ mortgage with the money from TV work and commercial deals, Scarlett moved out of the family home and now lives nearby in Bishop Auckland with boyfriend Scott Dobinson.
A rep for Scarlett declined to comment.
If you need support around gambling issues, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.
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