The same, however, cannot be said for Joanne herself, whose ever-expanding brood has long had to be accommodated in a council house. She pays a reduced rent of just £27 a week for her home — a tenth of the going rate — the rest being paid for by the State.

She receives £565 a week in benefits, comprising a total of £160 family allowance and £405 supplementary benefit, the maximum amount allowed under Bailiwick of Guernsey law.

‘Everyone wants to have a go at me because I’ve got loads of kids and they think I’m popping them out to get more money, but it’s rubbish. ‘I don’t get more money with every baby I have because Guernsey has a different benefits system to other parts of the UK. It’s capped so I get the same amount of money as people with five kids.