'I'm Britain's biggest Barbie fan - I've spent over £20k collecting 800 dolls'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

The biggest Barbie fan in the UK has revealed she’s collected 800 dolls throughout her life – racking up a bill of £20,000. Dawn Austin first became obsessed with the iconic doll when she was just a small child after spotting one in an airport shop.

Her collection grew slowly and steadily until she was a teenager when lost interest in the hobby. Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features. But she fell back in love with Barbie in her 20s when she became an artist – scouring flea markets and auction sites like eBay for the dolls.

She now has a staggering 800 Barbies as well as several Kens. She also has dozens of Sindy and Tammy dolls which are crammed into her three-bed terrace in Derby.

Dawn says the dolls fill almost every surface but husband Steve, 45, draws a line with having any in their bedroom. She said: “One of my first memories is sitting in a pram and seeing this amazing toy doll in a shop window at an airport. "I saw all these golden-haired dolls and I asked if they were fairies or angels. “My mum took me over and bought me a Malibu Barbie and I never let it go.