WE spoke to Chantelle Devonshire, an English gypsy girl, to find out all about her lifestyle.
Chantelle, 21, from Cambridge, answered all the questions you want to know about her traveller lifestyle - from what it's really like growing up in the community, to why her home is covered in plastic.
The gypsy girl explained that she can spend six hours a day cleaning and also revealed that travellers don’t actually use their loo because they think it’s dirty.
Not only this, but she explained why it’s important for traveller women to cover their sofas and cupboards in plastic, as well as opening up about her childhood in the traveller community.
Chantelle told Fabulous: “We don’t use the bathroom in our trailers. We see it as dirty.
“I use mine as a storage space. I have boxes in the bath and clothes hung up.
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“The bathroom drawers are sat on the toilet and I use that as storage.
“Instead we have a building built, or a lot of travellers will have a box that they tow which has a bathroom and a toilet in it.
“At the moment, I have a shed with an outside bathroom in it.
“A lot of travellers don’t actually use their oven too, because they think it’s dirty.”
Not only this, but Chantelle revealed the importance of having a plastic cover on her sofas and cupboards.
She added: “I have plastic covers on my sofas and my cupboards to protect them. It makes them easy to clean.
“Cupboards that don’t have plastic will chip much easier. It’s the same with the bunks, if you spill anything on them, the plastic protects it a lot.
“I spray the bunks with a multi-purpose spray and sometimes I even polish the plastic too. It makes the plastic shine. I get my polish from B&M.”
Chantelle opened up about growing up in the traveller community, as she discussed her strict upbringing.
She revealed: “I had a really strict childhood. I wasn’t allowed to stay over at anyone else’s place, that was one of the top rules.
“Even as a child, I was taught that you’ve always got to clean up.
“I would cook at a really young age too. I was only eight-years-old and I would cook traditional Gypsy food, like bacon pudding.
People could call me a ‘p****’, say ‘you’re disgusting’ and would tell me to ‘go back to my caravan’.
“When I was ‘at home’ and single, if I wanted to go out somewhere, no matter what age, even if I was at home now, I wouldn’t be able to do what I wanted to do. If my dad told me no, I would have to listen.
“Irish gypsies aren’t allowed to drink. My father would let me drink in front of him, but not out and about.
“Unlike many travellers, I grew up in a house and went to school. But when I went to secondary school I got bullied a lot, and I mean a lot.
“People could call me a ‘p****’, say ‘you’re disgusting’ and would tell me to ‘go back to my caravan’.
“I left school at 16 because it hit me a lot. I couldn’t even go into a classroom without people saying stuff.
“Typically, the boys go out and work at a young age and girls are taught from a young age to cook, clean and take care of kids.
“Some non-gypsies don’t believe in that and think kids should go to school but a lot of travellers don’t believe in sending their kids to school.”
Chantelle revealed that in the traveller community, it is a woman’s job to ensure her home is sparkling clean.
Before I have even eaten breakfast, my bed will be made and tidy, because you never know who is going to come and have a chat with you.
She claimed: “My job is to take care of the home, do his washing, cook for him, and when we eventually have children, it will be my job to take care of them.
“I clean my home almost every day - I clean up and I always have to make the bed, clean the sides, wipe mirrors and make sure nothing looks dusty. I do that every morning.
“For me, cleaning is like therapy for me. Some days I don’t want to clean, but cleaning makes me feel good.
“Every traveller always has pride in their home.
“I always make sure my house is clean. Women come and visit you all the time, especially on sites.
“Before I have even eaten breakfast, my bed will be made and tidy, because you never know who is going to come and have a chat with you.
“I get the majority of cleaning out of the way as soon as I wake up, just in case anyone comes in.
“Sometimes I start cleaning at 10am and I can then finish at around 4pm. I will clean all day, for about six hours.
“I obviously have breaks, but I like everything to be organised. I pull everything out and clean everything.
“Every Monday is my main day for deep cleaning. I do the laundry and if the car is here, I wash it all out and make sure it’s clean for the week.”
Chantelle explained what the term ‘running off’ means in the traveller community.
She noted: “I’ve got a boyfriend but I call him my husband. We’re not legally married, but we are in the traveller community - it’s called ‘running off’.
“If a boy and girl ‘run off’ and stay the night together, they are married in the community.
“We ran off, got a trailer and in traveller’s eyes, once you do that, you’re basically married.”
Chantelle explained that she is often abused and trolled as a result of her background, whether this be in person or on social media.
Trolls say that I’ve got a ‘boring life’ and say ‘all you do is clean’. But that’s my pride, and that’s what I like to do. I don’t let it get to me.
She added: “On TikTok I get bad comments and haters that talk about the traveller community and say ‘your house has wheels’ or ‘your house has a handbrake’ but I make a joke out of it. It doesn’t bother me.
“I get comments most days about being a traveller. I will go into a nail shop and they will turn me away because I’m a gypsy.
“I’ve been in restaurants where I’ve been turned down. I’ve been kicked out of cinemas too. Cinemas will try and separate us - they say we’re too loud.
“A lot of gypsies can be loud but we’re not all like that.
“There’s been plenty of times where non-travellers have judged me for being a gypsy.
“It’s often online as well. A lot of people say things that they would never say to my face.
“Trolls say that I’ve got a ‘boring life’ and say ‘all you do is clean’. But that’s my pride, and that’s what I like to do. I don’t let it get to me.
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