‘I will never forget the feeling of having to put back food because I wanted my son to have milk’
Roxanne Hoyle is among Britain’s most famous and beloved online personalities. As one half of the Ladbaby YouTube channel alongside husband Mark, between them the pair has amassed 13.1 million subscribers.
The couple, who live in Hemel Hempstead, are known for hilarious pranks, day out shenanigans and exciting holidays.
LadBaby surpassed the likes of The Beatles and Spice Girls after claiming the Christmas number one spot with charity hits such as I Love Sausage Rolls – although the couple have recently revealed exclusively to Metro that they have something slightly different up their sleeves this year.
Despite the sheer heights of internet stardom they’ve reached, Roxanne and Mark will never forget their roots.
After the birth of their first son, Phoenix, they teetered dangerously on the edge of the poverty line.
SIGN OUR FORMULA FOR CHANGE PETITION
‘During food shops, I would have to put back food like bread to afford the basics’, Roxanne tells Metro.co.uk.
‘Even then, in 2016, nappies and formula were already so expensive.’
Roxanne recalls one occasion when she was left feeling ‘frozen’ at an Aldi checkout after giving birth to son Phoenix seven years ago.
She had a £20 note left to spend on their weekly shop, but had added the items up slightly wrong, making the final total actually £20.70. As she struggled to choose whether to put back nappies, baby wipes or milk – a stranger reached over to offer her a pound coin.
‘I’ll always remember the kindness of that stranger who offered to help and asked if I was okay,’ she says. ‘It brought me to tears, it really did.
‘The essentials – like formula milk and nappies – should be affordable across the board but they’re not. It can feel like you’re failing as a parent if you can’t afford the basics, but you’re not – I promise. It’s the powers that be who are failing.’
Roxanne, 39, and Mark, 36, are the latest to back Metro’s Formula for Change campaign. The couple have two sons: Phoenix Forest – 7 – and Kobe Notts – 5 who were both breastfed and bottle fed.
Roxanne’s call to action to her thousands of Instagram followers, helped the Formula For Change petition gain over 1000 signatures in just 24 hours, taking it past the 50,000 mark.
Created with family support charity Feed, the campaign is calling on the government to change outdated guidelines on how baby formula can be purchased, especially in light of skyrocketing prices amid the cost-of-living crisis.
After sharing the Formula for Change campaign in an Instagram video, Roxanne says she was inundated with heartbreaking responses from new parents.
‘I heard from so many people who know first-hand just how hard things are,’ she explains. ‘But there were others who just went “wow, how is this even a thing?” they had no idea – so raising awareness is really important.
‘I will never forget the feeling of having to put back food because I wanted my son to have milk or to have nappies. I will, until I die, try and make things easier for other parents.
‘But right now, it’s not. ‘Formula for Change is calling for a simple change to make things easier for parents struggling to afford formula milk. If it [the change in regulations] was greenlit, it would help so many people.’
Once our petition reaches 100,000 signatures, Roxanne has vowed to lead the march to Downing Street to call for change.
‘I genuinely know how hard it is when you’re on a budget. It’s a horrible feeling like you’ve failed,’ she adds. ‘I’ve met people who have had to dilute milk and had messages from parents who are really struggling, it’s really hard for so many families.
‘I remember formula milk being about £10 when we bought it, which was already so expensive. I was shocked to see price tags of £14, even £15 in the supermarket last week. I don’t know how we’d have coped today.’
For Roxanne, who was brought up in a working class family in Kent, she had always been determined to help others – and still is.
She moved to London for work in her early twenties where she met Mark in a bar. The pair had a whirlwind romance before jetting off for Las Vegas to get married in a $500 ceremony.
When first-son Phoenix was born, the couple relied on a single income from Mark’s job as a graphic designer. Roxanne had been forced to quit her job due to the cost, and juggle, of childcare.
Mark documented his ‘lad to dad’ adventure on YouTube with a series of videos about his cost-cutting hacks – whether it be cutting off the feet of babygrows to make them last longer or making your own stair gate.
It soon emerged thousands of families were seeking out the support – and escapism – their videos provided.
Today, Mark and Roxanne work with the Trussell Trust to give back after they’ve been lucky enough to become financially secure following their online success.
Roxanne, who still plucks nappies or formula milk off supermarket shelves to donate to baby banks, says: ‘All of this has happened for a reason. I think we are very lucky in the sense of we are in a position now where we’re able to speak for people and use our platform for good
‘I’ve been in food banks and have met with families first-hand.
‘They feel ashamed to be there when they shouldn’t be at all. It’s really hard for new parents at the moment, so many people are struggling. Some people I’ve met cry when they talk about the situation they’re in.
‘We’re doing all we can all year round now, not just at Christmas, to try and make sure that people are fed.
‘Everyone should have the right to feed their baby in whatever way they choose. The essentials should be available to everyone.’
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Kirsten.Robertson@metro.co.uk
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