Santa Ana - “Octomom” Nadya Suleman has filed for bankruptcy, saying she has as much as $1-million in debt.
The mother of 14 children wants a fresh start and said in a statement that filing for bankruptcy on Monday is what's best for her children, according to the Orange County Register.
“I have had to make some very difficult decisions this year, and filing Chapter 7 was one of them,” Suleman said.
Suleman is filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which means a court-appointed trustee would liquidate her assets to pay off creditors before she is discharged from most of her debts.
Suleman was in financial trouble before the January 2009 birth of her octuplets brought her notoriety. All Suleman's children were conceived through in-vitro fertility treatments, and her octuplets are the world's longest-surviving set
Since the birth, she has made deals with media outlets and posed in tabloid photo spreads to get by, touting a book and exercise videos that never materialised.
She earned $5 000 for promoting spaying and neutering for an animal rights group and was paid to take a beating in celebrity boxing matches.
In 2009, Suleman declined a million-dollar offer to appear in pornography.
Last month, semi-nude photos of Suleman ran alongside a paid interview in a British publication - a photo spread she defended in the tabloids, saying she wasn't ashamed of it. - Sapa-AP