AN INFLUENCER has opened up about life as the breadwinner as her husband quit his barber job to become a full time dad, but some feel sorry for him.
Imogen Horton, who is expecting her third child, is able to give her family a “privileged life” after years of going viral for opening up online – from filming her births to revealing health struggles and failed friendships.
The Brighton mum recently opened up to friend and fellow parent content creator, Caroline Parker on her podcast Don’t Touch It, about managing her busy life.
The 32-year-old YouTuber, who shares two daughters and a son on-the-way with her husband Spencer, revealed he has been able to quit his job and become a stay-at-home dad because of her career.
The podcast host and mum-of-three Caroline said to her: “Spencer is a stay-at-home dad, and I love that.”
Imogen, who boats over 300,000 Instagram followers, said: “I’m glad you said that, because you know what’s really funny, just quickly, I don’t get it anymore I don’t think, but for a long time I got ‘poor Spencer’.”
“Lucky Spencer,” insisted Caroline.
Imogen added: “Yes, I’m also thinking in my head he’s not forced here.
“He’s not held against his own will.
“He will live a very privileged life – we know how fortunate we are, but also they [trolls] wouldn’t say that if I was doing the cleaning and the cooking.”
“They wouldn’t say ‘poor Imogen’,” she pointed out.
The mum to girls Renaelia and Oriavella says she got comments like that for “a long time”, but thankfully she hasn’t seen as many pop up recently.
Caroline added: “I think as well, people are getting more used to the fact that like there are content creator dads, but actually a lot of people don’t share it.”
“There are a lot of people I know that are too scared to say that their partner is a stay-at-home dad,” she added.
Imogen explained that her 34-year-old husband, whom she was already in a relationship with when she started her YouTube channel in 2017, was a barber for over a decade.
She said when she fell pregnant with their first child, he was working 11 hour shifts, plus he would have to give up half his earnings to rent a chair where he worked.
She said: “What his earnings would cover is nursery.”
Imogen, who trained in musical theatre, added: “So we weighed it up and we don’t have any grandparents around us so it had to be this thing we’re like, we’re a team, it has to be both of us together.”
As a popular YouTube personality, fashion, beauty, and lifestyle influencer, Imogen’s income is likely generated through a combination of sources, including YouTube revenue, brand deals and affiliate marketing.
She said her husband “loves” cooking and cleaning, and she describes him as “a dream” to have at home.
She added: “He packs my bags if I’m going somewhere or if I’m like ‘right I’m going to take the girls here’, he has got snacks, he is Mr Organised.
“And thank God because I’m not organised in the slightest.”
One individual commented after a clip of the podcast was shared on TikTok, and said: “How can they afford it?
“Can working in social media really make money to support the family?”
Caroline responded and said: “Same how there’s stay at home mums and the man works a traditional job.
“Imogen works for the money in their home.”
“Love a supportive king,” she added.
Others rushed to share their support, as one said: “My husband would love to be a stay at home dad!”
Another individual shared: “My dad stayed at home with me until I went to primary school!”
One other commented: “My parents took turns so my dad was a stay at home dad for most of the time I was in primary school.
“It was the early 2000s and he was the only stay at home dad in the playground and would get comments from the mums. I loved having a stay-at-home dad.”
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Another wrote: “Whatever works for you as the only thing that matters is family, love, a roof over your head, food on the table.
“It doesn’t matter who earns the most or does what.”
Imogen concluded: “Without him I couldn’t do it.”
The number of stay-at-home dads in the UK has leapt by a third since before the pandemic.
One in nine stay-at-home parents are now fathers – up from one in 14 in 2019, according to Office for National Statistics data.
The number of individuals who had left the workforce to become full time dads rose by a third over the same period.
Under 16s banned from social media THIS YEAR
CHILDREN will be banned from using chatbots under new plans to crack down on online harms.
PM Sir Keir Starmer is preparing to tighten the rules on fast-moving tech, warning “no platform gets a free pass” when it comes to child safety.
Alongside the AI clampdown, ministers are lining up rapid action on social media itself, including potential curbs on addictive features like infinite scrolling.
The government is taking new legal powers so it can act within months of its children’s wellbeing consultation, rather than waiting years for fresh primary legislation.
That opens the door to a possible minimum age limit for social media this year.
In a major shake-up, ministers will close a legal loophole that leaves artificial intelligence chatbots outside of crucial elements of the Online Safety Act.
Social media giants must tackle illegal content, remove it quickly and protect children from harm — but chatbot providers are not fully bound by the same rules.
The PM will now force all AI providers to comply with the illegal content rules or face hefty fines and criminal sanctions.
Ministers will also look at outright restrictions on children’s use of chatbots as part of a consultation starting next month.
Sir Keir said: “As a dad of two teenagers, I know the challenges and the worries that parents face making sure their kids are safe online.
“Technology is moving really fast, and the law has got to keep up.
“With my government, Britain will be a leader not a follower when it comes to online safety.
“Today we are closing loopholes that put children at risk, and laying the groundwork for further action.
Tech Secretary Liz Kendall said: “I know that parents across the country want us to act urgently to keep their children safe online.
But the Tories called it “more smoke and mirrors from a government that has chosen inaction when it comes to stopping under-16s accessing social media”.
