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Jenny McCririck Q&A
What did you think Wife Swap might be like?
John and I talked about it a lot and we really thought we were going to swap with Jordan and Peter! We were trying to work it out and your mind just goes a bit crazy!
We thought it would be with someone quite oddball – like The Hamiltons! We thought it would be a harridan, so we weren’t far off. I knew it would have be a tough woman to deal with John.
Who would you have liked to swap with?
I would have liked to have gone and lived in the countryside with somebody who had their own horses. I really love the country life. I am more interested in ordinary people – I couldn’t care less whether they were celebrities or not.
Who would have been your worst nightmare?
I wouldn’t have wanted to have swapped with The Hamiltons. I don’t think that I would have had anything in common with Neil. I think he would have been difficult to talk to.
What did you think when you saw who it was?
I said "Oh my God!" That was all. I knew I was OK though as I was not the one that had to share a house with Edwina. I didn't really know anything about JJ before I started the swap so I didn’t have any preconceived ideas. I knew he was a counsellor and had been in the police force. I hadn’t a clue what his personality was like.
What did you like about your new life?
It was nice to be looked after and cooked for. I just enjoyed it. Also they had lovely dogs which I enjoyed walking.
What was the hardest thing about your new life? The hardest thing was having to write an article on the computer. I am not at all computer savvy and I was under pressure to get it done by a certain deadline and I’m not used to that. I had to ask JJ for help and that made me feel upset as I am usually so independent. I felt like a bit of a fool. Also I found it hard to have the camera on me all the time as I am not used to that.
What was your new partner like?
JJ was very nice, very pleasant and interesting. He is a caring sort of person and he does a lot for charity. He was a very grateful man and was very appreciative of my cooking.
Was Edwina’s life what you expected it to be?
I had not really expected JJ to do so much for Edwina. He is probably a better cook than her and he does seem to enjoy it. All the same it was a surprise that JJ is like a house husband and she is the one working, writing articles and he brings her tea.
Did you manage to change the person you’d come to live with? I think the only thing I managed to change was JJ’s smoking. I thought the best thing was to try and limit what time of day he could smoke and limit the amount of cigarettes rather than expecting him to stop altogether. I think you can’t force anyone to do something they don’t want to do – especially a man!
He might have cheated a bit but he definitely cut down. I thought Edwina would be pleased with that but ha! That’s a joke.
What did you make of Edwina when you met her?
She was so horrible when I met her. She just gave me verbal abuse from the minute she opened her mouth. I found it all very upsetting. I felt personally hurt by her attitude towards me. She seems to enjoy attacking people. I am an honest person and I took it very personally.
Has it changed anything about the way in which you live?
No, nothing has changed about the way we live. I have never had a problem with the way I am and what I do.
Edwina decided that I must have a problem with my lifestyle but she is the one with the problem.
Is there anything you wish you’d done differently?
No not at all. I definitely had the easier side of the swap. JJ was a nice chap.
If you went to live in Edwina's house now, what would you do differently?
Carry on the same. Except I would make a point to ride their neighbour’s horses!
Were you pleased with your rule changes?
Mine were not too difficult as I just went back to doing what I was used to doing at home. My rule changes just meant that I went back to being the normal me!
JJ was fine with my rule changes, he just did them all. He did very well. The only rule change that he found hard was cutting down on smoking. He was doing very well and was cutting down, till he met back up with Edwina. I think that she must be a very stressful woman to live with. Do you think Edwina will continue with your rule changes?
Edwina is so hard to live with that I don’t think JJ will stop smoking. She is too stressful! One of my rule changes was that I did most of the cooking for JJ. I definitely don’t think that Edwina will continue with that. I think Edwina will go back to exactly how things were before Wife Swap. She won’t be making JJ any cups of tea!
What would you like to say to the other couple?
I would like to say to Edwina that I think JJ would appreciate being looked after domestically a bit more. He seemed so appreciative of what I was doing.
Would you do wife swap again?
Maybe if I was bribed! If you’d asked me straight after the swap I would have said not for anything – but now I have got over it a bit. It was a stressful experience but I might do it again.
John and I talked about it a lot and we really thought we were going to swap with Jordan and Peter! We were trying to work it out and your mind just goes a bit crazy!
We thought it would be with someone quite oddball – like The Hamiltons! We thought it would be a harridan, so we weren’t far off. I knew it would have be a tough woman to deal with John.
Who would you have liked to swap with?
I would have liked to have gone and lived in the countryside with somebody who had their own horses. I really love the country life. I am more interested in ordinary people – I couldn’t care less whether they were celebrities or not.
Who would have been your worst nightmare?
I wouldn’t have wanted to have swapped with The Hamiltons. I don’t think that I would have had anything in common with Neil. I think he would have been difficult to talk to.
What did you think when you saw who it was?
I said "Oh my God!" That was all. I knew I was OK though as I was not the one that had to share a house with Edwina. I didn't really know anything about JJ before I started the swap so I didn’t have any preconceived ideas. I knew he was a counsellor and had been in the police force. I hadn’t a clue what his personality was like.
What did you like about your new life?
It was nice to be looked after and cooked for. I just enjoyed it. Also they had lovely dogs which I enjoyed walking.
What was the hardest thing about your new life? The hardest thing was having to write an article on the computer. I am not at all computer savvy and I was under pressure to get it done by a certain deadline and I’m not used to that. I had to ask JJ for help and that made me feel upset as I am usually so independent. I felt like a bit of a fool. Also I found it hard to have the camera on me all the time as I am not used to that.
What was your new partner like?
JJ was very nice, very pleasant and interesting. He is a caring sort of person and he does a lot for charity. He was a very grateful man and was very appreciative of my cooking.
Was Edwina’s life what you expected it to be?
I had not really expected JJ to do so much for Edwina. He is probably a better cook than her and he does seem to enjoy it. All the same it was a surprise that JJ is like a house husband and she is the one working, writing articles and he brings her tea.
Did you manage to change the person you’d come to live with? I think the only thing I managed to change was JJ’s smoking. I thought the best thing was to try and limit what time of day he could smoke and limit the amount of cigarettes rather than expecting him to stop altogether. I think you can’t force anyone to do something they don’t want to do – especially a man!
He might have cheated a bit but he definitely cut down. I thought Edwina would be pleased with that but ha! That’s a joke.
What did you make of Edwina when you met her?
She was so horrible when I met her. She just gave me verbal abuse from the minute she opened her mouth. I found it all very upsetting. I felt personally hurt by her attitude towards me. She seems to enjoy attacking people. I am an honest person and I took it very personally.
Has it changed anything about the way in which you live?
No, nothing has changed about the way we live. I have never had a problem with the way I am and what I do.
Edwina decided that I must have a problem with my lifestyle but she is the one with the problem.
Is there anything you wish you’d done differently?
No not at all. I definitely had the easier side of the swap. JJ was a nice chap.
If you went to live in Edwina's house now, what would you do differently?
Carry on the same. Except I would make a point to ride their neighbour’s horses!
Were you pleased with your rule changes?
Mine were not too difficult as I just went back to doing what I was used to doing at home. My rule changes just meant that I went back to being the normal me!
JJ was fine with my rule changes, he just did them all. He did very well. The only rule change that he found hard was cutting down on smoking. He was doing very well and was cutting down, till he met back up with Edwina. I think that she must be a very stressful woman to live with. Do you think Edwina will continue with your rule changes?
Edwina is so hard to live with that I don’t think JJ will stop smoking. She is too stressful! One of my rule changes was that I did most of the cooking for JJ. I definitely don’t think that Edwina will continue with that. I think Edwina will go back to exactly how things were before Wife Swap. She won’t be making JJ any cups of tea!
What would you like to say to the other couple?
I would like to say to Edwina that I think JJ would appreciate being looked after domestically a bit more. He seemed so appreciative of what I was doing.
Would you do wife swap again?
Maybe if I was bribed! If you’d asked me straight after the swap I would have said not for anything – but now I have got over it a bit. It was a stressful experience but I might do it again.
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