Our partners were the Department for Work and Pensions, plus high profile supporters such as Money Saving Expert, Money and Mental Health Foundation, Debt Counsellors Charitable Trust, Money Advice Service and the Debt Advice Foundation.
We created four short animations to tell the real life stories of couples who have experienced debt. It became obvious during our research and interviewing that debt seriously affects relationships so we decided to find an innovative way to encourage more people to #TalkMoneySecrets
A shocking fact is that 60% of people who contact debt charities also report problems with their relationships. 55% of couples include money worries in their top three relationship strains. Yet often the relationship problems are left unchecked when debt issues are addressed, sometimes secretly due to shame, embarrassment and fear. These secrets cause more problems with the couples.
All the couples we interviewed were different but they all experienced stress from debt. The animations cover topics like losing a job, reduced earnings after parenthood and falling for ‘cheap’ credit. When the couples reconnected with their partners and communicated properly, they were able to tackle their problems together and build resilience to prevent any more sudden unforeseen shocks. Watch the videos and share them widely.
