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Deirdre
Deirdre and her American husband, Bryan, live with their three-year-old son Frankie. Deirdre is a successful, millionaire businesswoman and her husband works for her company.
Q: Why did you want to be on Wife Swap?
A: I liked the idea of having the opportunity to transform someone else's way of living by showing them that there are other ways to do things. My company specialises in sending people on trips abroad to do voluntary work
Q: What parts of the swap did you enjoy?
A: There were some great moments towards the end. The puppet show was a real highlight for me – the kids loved it and everything came together. It was also a moment when Phil and I were having fun together.
I think that Margaret is great to have brought up such creative kids. It was also incredible seeing her at the table-meeting at the end. She was describing the presentation and how much she enjoyed it, and I could see how much it had boosted her self-esteem.
Q: What parts of the swap did you find hardest?
A: I missed Bryan's support and felt constrained in the house – I'm not used to being tied to the kitchen sink for so long and value my independence.
I found Phil's outburts hard to handle and difficult to listen to. But, I tried to understand why he was making them – I never set out to make him angry.
Q: How did your fmaily cope with the swap?
A: Frankie absolutely loved his new room so there were no complaints from him! Bryan and Margaret are very similar people so got on well together. Bryan missed having somebody more forthcoming – someone he could bounce ideas off of – but really enjoyed helping Margaret and seeing her enjoy herself.
Q: Do you relate to your family differently?
A: I relate differently to Frankie. I now see him as a little person instead of just a little kid. He has feelings and needs as much as anyone and I'm much more aware of that. I also focus more of my time and energy towards being with him. Whereas before I would be with him but have half my mind on emails to catch up on, I now focus more when I'm with him.
Q: Has it changed you at all?
A: I wouldn't say it has changed me exactly. But, I now realise just how great my husband and son are and that I need to spend more time with Frankie, instead of thinking about work 24 hours per day, seven days per week, 365 days per year.
Q: Would you do it again?
A: Probably not, but only because I've already done it now. I'm delighted to have done it, and really enjoyed myself, but I'm someone who likes to face new challenges.
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Margaret
Margaret and Phil live together with their nine children, Mark (22), Chantelle (19), Kimberley (15), Ryan (14), Tiffany (11), Holly (8), Chelsea (6), and Caitlin (3). She runs everything in the house while Phil works as a partner in a successful steel company.
Q: Why did you want to be on Wife Swap?
A: Every time that Phil and I rowed, I'd always say that I'd go on Wife Swap and he'd be stuck with a woman who wouldn't let him boss her around. He always challenged me, saying he'd put me on it first! So, I wanted to teach him a lesson and we challenged each other to do it!
Q: What parts of the swap did you enjoy?
A: I enjoyed so much about it; it was fantastic. Doing the presentation at Deirdre's company was brilliant; I was nervous as I'd had so little time to prepare for it, but when I got up there I had no prompts – no help – and I feel that I did really well.
When Bryan and I worked on Frankie's room it was was tiring and really stressful, but we reminded ourselves that these are abnormal circumstances and we still managed to do it. We worked well as a team and I really enjoyed that.
The crew are really great too – people don't really see that side of it. When I arrived and they told me that I could have no contact with family or friends, I was worried. But, whenever I needed someone to talk to, I could turn to the crew.
Q: What bits of the swap did you find hardest?
A: The part where I waited for the family to arrive at the start was really nerve-wracking! I had no idea what to expect, and I dreaded being stuck with a load of rebellious teenagers – when Bryan walked in with three-year-old Frankie I felt relieved. He's a month younger than my youngest, Caitlin, and he was a little angel.
I can't handle confrontation well – I do my best to avoid it. When it came to the rule-change I was really nervous again. I dreaded telling Bryan what changes I wanted to make because I really didn't want to upset him and I didn't know how he'd react. It went OK though.
Q: How did your family cope with the swap?
A: They really enjoyed it – they enjoyed having Deirdre as their swap-mum! She took them to a puppet-show, they did play-acting, went to panto, played on a trampoline. Deirdre told Tiffany that she has the potential to be an actress and should go to a drama club – of course, Tiffany loved her for saying that!
Mark and Ryan loved winding Deirdre up – they added a column with her name on it to the rota and assigned all the jobs to her, adding extra treats to their columns! But it was done in a light-hearted way – they liked having her around.
Phil couldn't accept a woman bossing him around, so he had a hard time of it. I don't think he will ever change.
Q: Have it changed you at all?
A: It has made realise that I would like to get a job and work again. I realise that it's not easy when you have nine kids, but Caitlin will be going to school soon and I want to get 'out there' – perhaps doing a support role in a company, as I loved the presentation I did. It would help to make me feel stronger.
Q: Do you do anything differently now?
A: The TV hasn't gone back into the bedroom, which I am really pleased about. Phil moans about it every day but we've had it in the bedroom for 18 years so I think it's time to try something different.
Q: Would you do it again?
A: Absolutely – without question. It's a unique experience and probably the only time I will get to feel famous! I loved that we were driven to shoots and pampered. People would stop and stare at me during filming, thinking I must be someone very famous. I loved not having to queue for things either!
Coming back to my 'real' life was weird – I had trouble sleeping for a while as I was still on a high from doing the show. I took the kids on walks for a couple of days and chilled out to ease myself back into my everyday routine.
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