17 March 2024 , 11:35
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Sisters Emma and Samantha Chawner were shocked by their mum's response on The Jeremy Kyle Show after she walked out.
The siblings first made headlines together when they duetted on The X Factor back in 2009, two years after Emma tried to bag a place in the singing competition with Celine Dionne's My Heart Will Go On. When Simon Cowell savagely called her a 'flump', her sister and parents stormed into the room to furiously challenge him.
The Chawners went on to appear in numerous television shows as they were cruelly branded the 'fattest and laziest' family in Britain. But their tight-knit union crumbled and mum Audrey walked out on them in 2015. As Samantha ties the knot this weekend, we take a look at the estranged family's time in the spotlight.
Audrey, Philip and Samantha stormed onto The X Factor to blast Simon Cowell after Emma's performance in 2009 (ITV)In June 2015, Audrey decided to leave their Greater Manchester home without warning. Her husband Philip, along with daughters Emma and Samantha, set off to give a relative a lift, and when they returned two hours later, Audrey had vanished. The then-63-year-old struggled to walk and only went out once a week for a brief shopping trip.
Emma said at the time: "Mum had posted her front door key through, it was on the mat. It was such a big shock. When we said 'bye' to her, she was completely normal. She was looking forward to Dad's 60th birthday and their 29th wedding anniversary. We called the hospitals. Mum suffers from septicaemia, cellulitis, a heart murmur, epilepsy, asthma and high blood pressure. Then we called the police."
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Audrey had taken her clothes and Philip's iPad and left her wedding ring. Police took the details and an officer later returned. "He told us Mum had been spotted a couple of miles away," Samantha said. "He spoke to her and she said she was fine and didn't want to know us anymore."
The trio were left to fend for themselves and Emma and Samantha confronted their mum in front of Jeremy Kyle (Sunday Mirror)The trio, who suffered from a range of health problems, said the loss of Audrey's benefits meant they would struggle to pay rent and bills on their council home. Heartbroken Philip sobbed: "I just want to ask Audrey why. And did you ever love me?"
He added: "We are still in shock, I haven't been eating or sleeping. I was Audrey's carer for 29 years. I did everything for her. Now I feel like such a fool. I feel betrayed and I will never forgive her. She isn't welcome back - ever."
In October 2015, Emma and Samantha took Audrey on The Jeremy Kyle Show to confront her about walking out. Jezza pointed out that viewers would "probably recognise" the family as he introduced them on stage. After The X Factor, they appeared in a six-part ITV series in 2009 called Lorraine Kelly's Big Fat Challenge, where the presenter tried to help them lose weight.
The sisters wanted to confront their mum about why she abandoned them. But instead of begging for an apology, Audrey used the stage to make a request. She said: "One thing I want back from you Emma is my Man United scarf back." Jez asked her to repeat herself: "I said I would like my Man United scarf back because it was a present for Christmas and Emma said she burned it."