I feel such a close bond to them': Mother-of-five amasses £12,000 collection of FIFTY fake babies because she can't have any more children

Alice Winstone has spent £12,000 in seven years buying enormous brood of fake children

• She cannot have more children because of blood disorder which would make pregnancy unsafe
• Lifelike dolls fill several rooms of her maisonette in Cardigan, Mid Wales - which she still shares with three of her five children
• Most expensive doll cost her £1,200
• Her obsession saw her husband move out because he 'couldn't cope' with number of dolls

When mother-of-five Alice Winstone was told she could not have more children for health reasons, she remained determined to fill her home with babies.
And the maternal 39-year-old is so desperate to care for infants she has spent thousands buying 50 lifelike baby dolls which take up her entire house.
Mrs Winstone has spent seven years and over £12,000 filling her home with the scarily lifelike vinyl 'Reborn Dolls', even though three of her five real children still share the same house.
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Maternal instincts: Alice Winstone cares for one of the 50 fake babies which fill her home in Cardigan, Mid Wales

Mother duties: Mrs Winstone, who is separated from her husband due to her obsession, changes the clothes of one of her 'children'

Her obsession with the fake babies, which cost up to £1,200 each, sees her spend £50 a month and has forced her long-suffering husband Chris to move out of their maisonette home in Cardigan, Mid Wales.
Mrs Winstone had bought her first fake baby, a £180 doll called Emily, after seeing her on the back of a magazine and 'falling head over heels in love with her'.
She went on to buy 13 more in quick succession, and admitted that soon after she 'couldn't stop.'
She said that despite the misgivings of husband Chris, she was 'astonished to feel such a close bond to a doll'.
Mrs Winstone had been told after her becoming pregnant with youngest daughter Jessica, now 12, that she had a blood disorder which would make another pregnancy unsafe.

Lifelike: The 'Reborn Doll's are made from a vinyl material and can cost up to £1,200 each

Care and attention: Mrs Winstone shows the rack of outfits she has bought for her fake children

Changing time: Mrs Winstone bought her first doll around seven years ago after 'falling head over heels in love with her'

Her medical issue also means she does not work, instead caring 24 hours a day for the 50 fake children she has collected since.
She changes, washes, sleeps with and 'feeds' her enormous brood of vinyl children - and even takes her favourites out for day trips in the car.

'I began looking after the dolls like I would my own babies - they are so life-like and I feel such a close bond to them.'

She readily admits she preferred caring for her dolls to having sex with her husband, who moved out of their home five years ago due to her growing army of pretend children.
Mr Winstone said: 'I tried taking in kittens, and even fostering children but I couldn't bear the part where I had to say goodbye.
'I began looking after the dolls like I would my own babies - they are so life-like and I feel such a close bond to them.
'It's the best of both worlds as well - I get to dress them up, do their hair and wash their clothes without the endless dirty nappies and sleepless nights!'
Mrs Winstone became very protective over her dolls and worried about her children being near them, or the cat sitting on them if she wasn't around to keep an eye on them.

'AS REALISTIC A BABY AS POSSIBLE'

'Reborn dolls' are lovingly made by specialist artists who painstakingly create 'lifelike' vinyl dolls worth thousands of pounds.
The popularity of reborn dolls emerged in the early 90s and is now an industry in its own right.
Makers typically take a vinyl doll and add extra layers of paint and detail for a more realistic look.
Artists can add mottled paint effects and veins for the look of a newborn, and often use high quality mohair for the baby's head.
The arms and head of a reborn doll are also usually weighted with sand or another substance to give a more lifelike feel.
Buyers can request bespoke 'features' on the doll, such as a heartbeat, magnetic dummy or magnetic hair ribbon.
Some reborn dolls are made so they can be 'fed' a fake form of milk, while others have mechanisms which make their chest rise and fall, replicating breathing.

She moved the dolls to her bedroom, and bought cots for them to sleep in.
Eventually Chris moved out as he couldn't cope with her love for the dolls any longer.
She said: 'Chris didn't understand why I treated my dolls like real babies - he just didn't get it.
'I tried telling him how happy they make me but he just thought it was a stupid obsession.
'They soon started to affect our sex life as I would want some of them to come to bed with us, but Chris refused.
'We were arguing about other things in our relationship, but the dolls really didn't help - he said they freaked him out because they looked so real.'
'I wouldn't have given up my dolls for Chris - we come as a package. I like them close to me, and I'm never far away from them for long.
'After Chris left, I down-sized my double bed to a single and turned our room into a nursery. I didn't need the extra space and it meant there was more room for my dolls and their stuff.'
Mrs Winstone insisted that, while she 'does love her children more', she would still not give up her dolls for anything.

Attached: The mother-of-five says she now spends all her time with her 50 fake babies, as they 'come as a package'

Realistic: Mrs Winstone's most expensive Reborn Doll, a 'boy' called Rhys, cost her £1,200

Mrs Winstone regularly takes her pretend brood out for day trips near her home in Cardigan, Mid Wales

Her estranged husband Chris still visits their house to visit the couple's real children - Jade, 22, Ben, 21, Kyle, 17, Charlie, 15, and Jessica, 12 - as their youngest three still live under the same roof as the 50 fake babies.

The mother-of-five was told she could not become pregnant again after her fifth baby due to blood disorder

She added: 'Of course, I love my kids more – I know these babies aren’t real. I’m not mental.'
Despite claiming this, the mother of five has admitted to dressing her favourite doll Rhys (who cost £1,200) up in Ugg boots and taking him on day trips to the zoo.
Mr Winstone said: 'I've spent thousands on my dolls - but I also go to doll fairs and swap them for others when I've had them a while.
'Rhys is my favourite, I like him to sleep with me every night.
'I recently took him to Chester Zoo - loads of people came up to me and told me how cute he is, and they couldn't believe it when I told them he was a reborn doll and not a baby.
'I buy him Next clothes and UGG boots as I want him to look nice.'
Alice's reborns are so realistic, she was once stopped by police when she had four of them on the back seat.
Alice said: 'The police officer told me I needed to get car seats for my children as it was dangerous for them to travel without them.
'When I told him they were dolls, he wouldn't believe me - I think he thought I was crazy!
'Once he had seen the dolls close up he realised they weren't real babies, but it shows how much they look like real children - that's why I love them.
'No relationship will ever come between me and my babies, and I wouldn't give them up for my children. It's me and the babies - they're everywhere.'

Obsession: The Reborn Dolls now take up several rooms in Mrs Winstone's home, which she still shares with three of her children

Expensive: As well as spending thousands on the dolls themselves, Mrs Winstone also buys prams, cots, and dozens of outfits