A TikTok star from Lancashire who gained notoriety for boasting about living on UK benefits while in Thailand has been jailed for drug offences. Ellis Matthews, 35, was sentenced to 26 months at Preston Crown Court after pleading guilty to possession and supply of class A and B drugs.
Matthews, who used the username '@mumontheruninasia' on TikTok, had amassed over 16,500 followers by posting about her lifestyle in Thailand. She claimed her £2,300 per-month lifestyle was funded by Disability Living Allowance, which she said she received for six mental disorders. However, she later claimed the videos were 'just a joke' and that she never received benefits while abroad.
In March 2025, Matthews and her son were arrested in Thailand for overstaying their visa. She spent over three months in a detention centre she described as a 'hell hole' before being deported without her son. Within weeks of returning to Lancashire, she was arrested on drug charges.
Recorder Fiona Clancy told Matthews that the 108 days she spent in Thai detention would be deducted from her sentence at HMP Styal. Matthews had previously appeared on the reality show Judge Rinder and claimed to have squandered a £6 million fortune.
After her deportation, Matthews left her four-year-old son with a relative in Thailand, saying she feared social services would take him into care if he returned to the UK. She denied being a bad mother and said the online hate campaign against her was unfair.
