AT first, it was a real-life fairy tale when Simone and Michael met at the Hard Rock Café.
The two love birds immediately hit it off, with Simone, now 40, even announcing that Michael, now 50, had officially become her ”boyfriend” right there and then.
But the relationship took a turn for the worst when the Brummy duo set up home together and Simone realised just how messy her partner, an ex-chef, really was.
”When we had Mia [their ten-year-old daughter], it just made sense that we loved together and it’s like a chip went it in and it was just like ‘Wow, I got you now – now, I’m gonna just do what I want’,” Simone said.
The former chef remains a massive foodie and often loves spending his free time whipping up elaborate meals – but although the dishes are scrumptious, Simone finds the cooking style unbearable.
On average, the mum-of-one spends a staggering two hours clearing up the mess – some of which is also Michael’s epic collection of trainers, which he’s saving ”for a special occasion”.
The vast range of footwear has indeed taken over the Birmingham-based family home – as the food lover stores the gear under the bed in a massive pile, as well as on the porch.
”Half the time he struggles to pair them together, so he can never wear them anyway. You can move them – but where do you move it to?”
But it’s not just Michael’s vast shoe collection making a mess – even the shed in the garden has fallen victim to his hoarding tendencies.
Although the limited space is packed to the brim with different bags and random bits, the hubby sees them as potential side hustles that could rake in some extra cash – such as a hot dog stand, which he hasn’t used yet.
The aspiring businessman, tonight’s episode of Wife on Strike on Channel 5 revealed, has also got his hands on an ice cream van sitting outside on the street.
But after spending the last few years in a total mess, Simone had reached her boiling point where she admitted she wouldn’t be opposed to living separately.
”I don’t want to keep moaning at him. But ultimately, it makes me stressed out when there’s stuff everywhere.”
Hubby Michael, who now works at a school, saw it all from a different perspective, rating his household efforts with ”60:40” – to him, ”obviously”.
Although his cooking skills are out of this world, keeping the kitchen clean isn’t on the menu – with the heated arguments leading Simone to tears.
”How it comes across to Mia has been just this nagging mum,” she cried on the show.
Well Polished conducted a survey and the results are in!
Most Hated Household Chores
Most Liked Household Chores
Men VS Women: Who Puts the Work In?
Men spend 7 hours 54 minutes a week cleaning.
Women spend 12 hours 15 minutes a week cleaning.
”I feel really resentful for that because that’s not me and that’s not what I want to me – and that’s now how I should spend my days.”
This was the point the mum-of-one broke and decided to go on a strike, leaving Michael and their pre-teen daughter fend for themselves whilst she was relaxing at a boutique hotel.
While Simone was away, Michael decided eventually to clean the family home, move shelves around the kitchen cupboards and even said he wanted to “keep on top of” his newfound tidiness.
However, Simone felt that “nothing had really changed” when she returned from her one-week mum strike.
When she pulled back the bed sheets, she found piles of laundry that hadn’t been put away and noticed that the surfaces were still “dirty”.
Michael was left questioning: “Are women ever happy?”
“Simone went to a hotel for a week and I felt like I went to the kennels,” he jokingly added.
The couple eventually came to the conclusion that the experiment did work to some degree.
You can watch Episode 4 of Wife On Strike on My5.
