Good morning. Welcome back to Survival Guide. I’m Isabella, one of the senior reporters at the Big Issue.

We report extensively on renters facing damp and mould in their homes. It is horrendously common and often sees tenants suffer with their physical and mental health. 

But it’s not every day that a celebrity is the landlord behind the poor conditions in the home.

TV presenter Stephen Mulhern (who you might recognise from Catchphrase, Deal or No Deal or Dancing on Ice) is that very landlord in this story. One of his tenants approached the Big Issue’s deputy digital editor Liam Geraghty in desperation, saying they had suffered with damp and mould in their home for more than two years. 

After being confronted by the Big Issue, Mulhern said he was unaware of the state of the property – he is paying an independent management company to look after it. Mulhern said he was “absolutely mortified” by the situation and promised to fix it as a “matter of urgency”.

You can read more of this story below. Also in this week’s newsletter, you’ll find our interview with another TV presenter AJ Odudu after reporter Lottie Elton met her in her hometown of Blackburn, where she was helping out at a food bank.

And read to the end for the Big Issue’s plan to eradicate poverty – and how you can help.

If you have a story to share, we want to listen. Get in touch at isabella.mcrae@bigissue.com or share your story here.

Tenants of TV star Stephen Mulhern left 'living with damp and mould for two years'

Stephen Mulhern is one of the UK’s most prominent television presenters but away from the small screen he has amassed a £4m property empire.

One of his tenants – who wished to remain anonymous – contacted the Big Issue out of desperation after their physical and mental health suffered. The tenant, a key worker during the Covid pandemic, said the situation had left them “bitter and alienated” and furious at Mulhern.

“We worked our butts off as key workers during Covid – my housemate for the NHS, and I in a factory producing disposable plastic accessories for hospitals, pulling extra shifts. And for what? Virtue-signalling claps? Who tunes in to watch and support Stephen Mulhern while we’re paying him rent to live in squalor? It leaves me bitter and alienated,” said the tenant.

Read the full story here.

In case you missed it

AJ Odudu: 'I knew we were working class. I shared the top bunk with my younger sister for years'. The Big Brother presenter has reflected on growing up working class and in poverty on a trip to Blackburn food bank. Read the interview.

How 'social supermarkets' offer hope and dignity for people facing hunger. Social supermarkets sell products at a significantly discounted rate or for a nominal fee and they are becoming a lifeline for communities. Here’s the story.

Family evicted from temporary housing after having grandparents over for a brew: 'It blew my mind'. Visitor bans in temporary accommodation can cause children to become isolated from their peers and affect their development. Find out more.

Work starting on new affordable homes in London at record low: 'People will become homeless'. The number of new homes started in London in the first half of 2024 was the lowest on record, posing a challenge for mayor Sadiq Khan. Get the story.

Like what you're reading? Let people know by going to our sign-up article and sharing it on your social networks!

The Big Issue wants to a new law ensuring governments end poverty

The Big Issue believes that ending poverty should be a legal requirement.  We are calling for a ‘Poverty Zero’ law which would require every government to set legally binding targets to reduce poverty – as with net zero. 

Of the 14.4 million people in the UK living in poverty, 3.8 million are living in destitution, the most extreme form of poverty.  These are people struggling to keep themselves warm, clean and fed. And the number is rising – destitution has more than doubled over the last seven years. 

The Big Issue wants the government’s first target to be to end destitution within the next 10 years. You can sign up to be a member of the Big Issue (for free) to join our community and help us fight for an end to poverty.