Former Big Brother star Marcus Akin has taken to GoFundMe to ask fans to donate £3,500 in order to help him pay for medical treatment as he labels it a ‘social experiment’
A former Big Brother star who appeared on the shown sixteen years ago has taken the drastic step of asking for £3,500 in donations in order to pay for ongoing medical treatment. Marcus Akin , who also goes by the name of The Dark Horse, has claimed that his desperate plea is more of a “social experiment” than anything else.
Marcus had been working as a window fitter while living with his mother before entering the popular TV show, where he stayed for 13 weeks.
Following his eviction, Marcus attempted to make the most of his new-found fame by appearing in two movies, one of which was Zombie Hood and Zombie From Ireland.
However, more than a decade later he has taken to asking the public for money using GoFundMe.
Writing his appeal, he said: “Hello friends. I’ll get right down to it. I’m giving this a shot as there’s no other way I’m going to get things done. It’s multi-layered, so please bear with me. The most important part for me is getting money to pay for all the private medical care I need. More about that later.”
He added: “Now, I’m sick and tired of working myself to death with nothing to show for it. I’m sick of being taxed into poverty. Sick of seeing bad people (mostly the political class) live an easy life whilst I and everyone I know struggles. I saw on social media that a guy made a crowdfund asking for £1 and it went viral. I am doing the same, but this one is a bit different.”
Marcus continued: “I have been on the waiting list for actual treatment (an operation, rather than injections that do not work) for over 7 years now. As part of the experiment I must now conclude that the bean counters who run the NHS do not think I am worthy of treatment. I’m pretty sure given the current climate that I would not receive any benefits should I not be able to work, besides it not being in my character to even ask.”
The former reality TV star went on to say that any money raised would be used for private operations as “they aren’t cheap.” The overall cost, according to Marcus, is an eye-watering £37,000.
He went on to say: “Despite my ailments, I have only taken time off work when I have had operations (lumbar injections that did not work in 2024, and a gastronemeus release last Christmas).”
He claims to have already spent £10,000 on “private treatments and medical “gadgets”. He concluded his plea saying: “Finally, it might seem as though I hate the NHS. I do not. I simply hate the heartless management class that take all the money when it should go to the hardworking Doctors and nurses. The real heroes. Thank you everyone. Let’s see where this goes.”
According to The Sun, at the time of publication Marcus had raised £10 of his £3,500 target.
A fan of the reality TV show said: “If only he would start a patreon reviewing his series, or giving behind behind the scenes points of view. I’d happily subscribe and pay a few quid a month for that. I’ve just been watching his series which is what made me want to check what he was up to, and saw the sad sight of his twitter just begging alt right pipeline sorts for help.”
Another person wrote: “I hope he gets better but writing you’re above applying for benefits when you’re in a position of clearly needing them is a wild take to me. And to label it as an “experiment”, is he trying to lean into the big brother social experiment thing?”
Meanwhile a third person added: “Absolutely! I wonder how much of it is his pride? He wants to ask for help/ money, but is trying to angle it as an experiment so he doesn’t come across desperate or weak? I genuinely hope he gets better, and genuinely would join a patreon if he set one up, as I think he would have a really good eye for the kind of nostalgia/bts content fans would want.”
A fourth person chimed in and said: “There’s a welfare/benefits pot whether you claim it or not. But what’s the point of paying tax if you can’t utilise funding if/when you need it? He seems like a self pitying waster anyway.”
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