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Wagner denies benefit fraud as he enjoys fish and chips with his fans | Metro.co.uk
Thursday 2 December 2010
Wagner denies benefit fraud as he enjoys fish and chips with his fans Metro.co.uk: "The wacky contender has appeared to be in hiding since his exit from the show on Sunday night when he lost out to Mary Bryne in the sing-off.
However yesterday he was spotted enjoying the Great British delight of fish and chips near his home town in the West Midlands as he signed autographs for a handful of fans and insisted he was 'no benefits cheat.'
It was reported last week that he was claiming £91.40 a week in incapacity benefits for a shoulder injury despite being one of the most rigorous dancers on the X Factor stage.
Turning up to Tasty Plaice, Dudley, he said: 'I didn’t want to be a parasite on benefits. I spent the whole of 2009 applying for jobs and at the time I was 53 and got nowhere.
'I came to England in 1992 and until 2008 I never claimed a penny of benefits. That’s 16 years I was paying my taxes and didn’t have any benefits at all,' he told The Sun.
Wagner insists he kept the Department for Work and Pensions updated on his status at all times and has every confidence that his actions were completely above board."
