The ex-girlfriend of disgraced footballer Adam Johnson is having to claim tax credits to support herself and their daughter, friends have claimed.
Stacey Flounders stood by the former England winger during his trial for child sex offences before he was convicted of sexually touching a schoolgirl fan who he had groomed online.
But the couple split around the time of the jury’s verdicts and her friends have said she is now struggling to get by.
Adam Johnson’s ex girlfriend Stacey Flounders (left) is reportedly claiming tax credits to get by following the former England winger’s jailing last year
The former couple, who have a two-year-old daughter together, put on a united front during the trial but Miss Flounders revealed they had split during the proceedings
The 27-year-old is working 16 hours a week as an account manager for an IT data firm and supplementing her income with tax credits, The Daily Star reported.
A friend told the paper: ‘This is about as far away from life as a WAG that anyone could imagine.
‘He is in jail and she is basically a single mum raising their daughter on her own and struggling. She has told us he gives her money but she never seems to have any.’
Johnson earned around £60,000-a-week before his offences were exposed. He and former air hostess Miss Flounders lived in a £2million mansion in County Durham.
The large home has since been put on the market but Johnson is said to make thousands from other properties and is said to have millions saved from his playing days.
Miss Flounders moved out of the house and into her mother’s home in Hartlepool after Johnson was jailed, but is now said to be renting a home with her daughter, two-year-old Ayla.
Johnson earned millions during his playing days. Friends of Miss Flounders say he is giving her money, but she is still struggling to make ends meet
The couple once lived in this mansion, but that is now on the market and Stacey is now renting
She gave evidence in his defence at his trial, telling the court she did not see a future for their relationship but they would remain friends.
She was said to have been dating another footballer, Bolton Wanderers Gary Madine, earlier this summer but it is unclear whether their relationship continues.
Johnson was jailed for six years last March, meaning he is not due for automatic parole until 2019. He is currently being held at HMP Moorland near Doncaster.
Households earning less than around £25,000-a-year are generally entitled to child tax credits, while those earning low incomes while working around 16 hours a week are entitled to working tax credits. Entitlement to the state support depends on individual circumstances.