I was the most famous star on Benefits Street – it made me a lot of enemies
WHITE Dee still remembers the knock on the door that changed her life.
It was a member of the Channel Four production team who asked her if she would like to take part in a documentary being filmed on the street where she had lived for the past 10 years.
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She had no idea the impact the show would have.
The mother-of-two, real name Deirdre Kelly, candidly tells Fabulous: “I didn’t really think about it because none of us believed it would ever air.
“I wouldn’t have been so nonchalant if I had known how it would turn out because I’m quite shy and private.
“Since then, I get recognized all the time, just walking down the street.
“If someone had told me all those years ago that I would appear on Celebrity Big Brother, have celebrity friends, speak at the Conservative Party conference and have young men sliding into my DMs, I would have thought they were crazy.
“It’s unreal how much has happened to me.
“I don’t regret doing the show. I miss the simplicity of the life I had, but I love the life I have now.
“I haven’t had any benefits since the show. We’re far from rich, but we’re getting by somehow.
“Instead, I’m back to square one, helping other people on benefits by running a food bank and a community centre.”
Benefits Street was filmed over 18 months and White Dee, now 53, was one of its standout characters: the show’s ‘mother hen’, always ready with food and a warm hug when fellow residents needed help.
Although her life has been a rollercoaster since the show first aired in 2014, she has fared better than some.
Samora Roberts – better known as Black Dee – was sentenced to seven years in prison in January 2016 for possessing live ammunition and crack cocaine with intent to supply.
And James ‘Fungi’ Clarke sadly passed away in July 2019 at the age of 50 from a drug overdose.
Dee starred in Celebrity Big Brother, where she finished in fifth place, and has since appeared in numerous TV series.
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She says: “I couldn’t believe it when I got invited. I got a lot of criticism from people saying ‘who does she think she is, she’s not a celebrity’.
“They’re right, I’m not and never have been, but the criticism brought out my stubborn side and I did it. It was one of the happiest times of my life.
“I’ve made some enemies.
“I recently gave my opinion on Gary Busey’s behavior… he was disgusting.
“It’s ironic that I was accused of bullying Gary at the time, but his behavior crossed many boundaries.
“I mentioned it in the diary room but didn’t pursue it further once I got out. I was in such a strange situation and wasn’t prepared for it and he was a Hollywood superstar.
“And I’ve made friends for life too, I consider Ricci Guarnaccio from Geordie Shore my third child – we speak every week.
“And the last time we went out it was a mess – I rarely drink, but I did that time and my best friend ended up on the floor of my bathroom!”
After CBB, Dee moved from James Turner Street to nearby Handsworth, where she still lives with her partner of 13 years, Mark, 55, a factory machine operator, and her two children, Caitlin, 26, and Gerrard, 17.
She says: “After Benefits Street aired, people were constantly knocking on the door. We became a tourist attraction.
“There was a backlash from the show and we were trolled. I can handle it when it’s directed at me – I’ve even learned to laugh.
“But I was furious when it came to my children. As children of color, they were racially abused and we received death threats, which was horrible.
“I can’t blame my childhood – I didn’t lack anything. My father went to work and my mother stayed home to take care of us. We played in the streets and went on vacation.
“That’s what I wanted for my children. So I was sad when we had to move, because that was all they knew.
“It felt like a loss and it was difficult to get used to such a dramatic change.
“But they’ve settled in well, Caitlin now works in a spa, which is her dream job, and Gerrard is studying sports coaching at university.”
BENEFITS STREET STAR NOW A MODEL
Benefits Street star Sherrell ‘SB’ Dillion, 35, has come a long way since the 2014 Channel 4 reality show.
Sherrell built a modeling portfolio and her career began to flourish, with photoshoots in London, Paris and Milan.
She also appeared in music videos for rappers Big Narstie, Zimbo and D Double E.
One of Sherrell’s most memorable modeling jobs was her role as a body double for Beyoncé’s wax museum at Madame Tussauds in London and Las Vegas.
She recalls: “I was told I ‘met the criteria’ and I thought, ‘Me? I have no boobs, no bum?’ I thought it was a joke. It was mind-boggling to me.
“They told me it was Beyoncé before she had kids and claimed she had no curves either and it was all camera tricks.”
Sherrell has worked with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, including Daniel Craig.
She claims he winked and smiled at her when she worked as an extra in the 2018 James Bond film No Time To Die.
But her most memorable encounters were with Tom Cruise when she starred in last year’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.
Sherrell claims she’s developed a bond with the actor and says he called her by her nickname on Benefits Street: “SB.”
However, Dee has struggled with her mental health since the show and has admitted to attempting suicide three times.
She says: “I have depressive episodes. It has been tough and the reasons are complicated, as always.
“At first glance, the demands of the show and the feeling that everyone was controlling me played a part, as did the financial worries when I was out of work and worried that I would have to go back on benefits.
“But at the core I struggle with my self-worth. It’s like I feel like I don’t deserve to be here. But I’m stable now and haven’t had any suicidal thoughts in the last 12 months.”
Dee feels fulfilled when she is doing work she loves. In 2019 she became involved with Birmingham Says No – an anti-knife campaign.
She then worked with youth projects and now runs a food bank and community centre.
“I know what it’s like to be in need and I want to help others,” she says.
“Nobody chooses to be a drug addict or homeless, there are circumstances that put people there and it’s heartbreaking.
“They tell me stories about being ignored, kicked and spat on. I want to do everything I can. Often all people want is a warm drink, a chat and a hug – I gave someone a hug the other day and they said it was the first one they’d had in 10 years.
“And I think I can do more because I’m ‘White Dee’ and I have a profile.”
We were told it would be a documentary about community spirit. It wasn’t.
White Dee
But Dee does believe that the residents of Benefits Street were exploited.
She says: “We were told it was going to be a documentary about community. It wasn’t.
“All the people who were working were cut out of the show. I can still remember when we were all brought into the preview show and I saw that there were security guards in the room.
“I didn’t understand why – until we saw in the opening credits that the name of the show was ‘Benefits Street.’
“Of course, such a topic would cause controversy. And we were all suddenly in the spotlight without any idea how to deal with it.
“But like I said, I don’t regret it.
“It has brought me to where I am today: doing work I love, still with Mark and with two happy children. It is everything I ever wanted.”
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