Who is Sam and Billie Faiers’ stepdad Dave Chatwood and why did he spend time in prison?
11 September 2019, 16:27 | Updated: 12 January 2021, 16:45
Sam and Billie have discussed their childhood a number of times on The Mummy Diaries - here's everything you need to know about their stepdad Dave
Sam and Billie Faiers have spoken openly about their childhood and stepdad Dave in a number of episodes of ITVBe show The Mummy Diaries.
In one scene, the sisters reminisced about how they used to write to their dad every day when he was serving time in prison back in 2002.
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Becoming tearful, Sam said: "Growing up Billie and I had a really, really happy childhood. My mum and dad did everything they did to make sure we had a lovely life."
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"Even when my dad did get sentenced and spent a long time in prison my mum did everything she could to raise me and my sister in a happy household."
Sam then told Dave: 'that's history, you've redeemed yourself, don't worry.'
And Dave agreed, saying: "I've come good.
"You used to send me letters, Billie never wrote."
Sam then said: "Didn't I write to you all the time? Consistently I wrote to dad every single year for about ten years."
Why was Dave Chatwood in prison?
According to reports, he was jailed in 2002 for being caught with 140,000 ecstasy tablets, 130kg of cannabis, two pistols and live ammunition. He was reportedly sent to prison again in 2013 for playing a role in £1.1 million bullion robbery.
Sam previously opened up about his prison time being the reason she has a condition that causes her to obsessively pull out her eyelashes.
Speaking on Lorraine, she said: “When I was younger, I was really close to my dad Dave. He went to prison and got sentenced to a very long time. I took that quite hard, but I was only little so I didn’t really understand, I just thought he wasn’t there. He’s gone.
“And then one day a family friend came around, a little girl, and said ‘did you know if you pull out your eyelashes and make a wish, the wishes come true?’ So, me being a little girl thinking this is what’s going to bring my dad home.
“So I used to pick out my eyelashes, make the wish for my dad to come home from prison and then wish it would come true. So that’s actually really traumatic for a little girl, and my mum, to go through.”
She then added: “I don’t really relate it to that anymore. I’ve been doing it for so long, it’s just a habit, but actually that was my trigger and that’s where it stemmed from.”
Is Dave Chatwood Sam and Billie's biological dad?
Dave is technically their stepdad, but Sam revealed in her autobiography Secrets and Lies that they consider him their real father.
A source previously told the Daily Star of their close relationship: "No matter what he does the Faiers sisters stand by him.
"They view him as their real dad and they’ve made no secret of their desire to give him whatever support they can."