diff --git a/spring-test/src/main/java/org/springframework/mock/http/client/MockClientHttpResponse.java b/spring-test/src/main/java/org/springframework/mock/http/client/MockClientHttpResponse.java
index 16ea8b4c59f9..c8450ca0beb6 100644
--- a/spring-test/src/main/java/org/springframework/mock/http/client/MockClientHttpResponse.java
+++ b/spring-test/src/main/java/org/springframework/mock/http/client/MockClientHttpResponse.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2002-2017 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2002-2022 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
  */
 public class MockClientHttpResponse extends MockHttpInputMessage implements ClientHttpResponse {
 
-	private final Object status;
+	private final int statusCode;
 
 
 	/**
@@ -41,15 +41,17 @@ public class MockClientHttpResponse extends MockHttpInputMessage implements Clie
 	public MockClientHttpResponse(byte[] body, HttpStatus statusCode) {
 		super(body);
 		Assert.notNull(statusCode, "HttpStatus is required");
-		this.status = statusCode;
+		this.statusCode = statusCode.value();
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * Constructor with response body as a byte array.
+	 * Variant of {@link #MockClientHttpResponse(byte[], HttpStatus)} with a
+	 * custom HTTP status code.
+	 * @since 5.3.17
 	 */
 	public MockClientHttpResponse(byte[] body, int statusCode) {
 		super(body);
-		this.status = statusCode;
+		this.statusCode = statusCode;
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -58,46 +60,34 @@ public MockClientHttpResponse(byte[] body, int statusCode) {
 	public MockClientHttpResponse(InputStream body, HttpStatus statusCode) {
 		super(body);
 		Assert.notNull(statusCode, "HttpStatus is required");
-		this.status = statusCode;
+		this.statusCode = statusCode.value();
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * Constructor with response body as InputStream.
+	 * Variant of {@link #MockClientHttpResponse(InputStream, HttpStatus)} with a
+	 * custom HTTP status code.
+	 * @since 5.3.17
 	 */
 	public MockClientHttpResponse(InputStream body, int statusCode) {
 		super(body);
-		this.status = statusCode;
+		this.statusCode = statusCode;
 	}
 
 
 	@Override
-	public HttpStatus getStatusCode() throws IOException {
-		if (this.status instanceof HttpStatus) {
-			return (HttpStatus) this.status;
-		}
-		else {
-			return HttpStatus.valueOf((Integer) this.status);
-		}
+	public HttpStatus getStatusCode() {
+		return HttpStatus.valueOf(this.statusCode);
 	}
 
 	@Override
-	public int getRawStatusCode() throws IOException {
-		if (this.status instanceof HttpStatus) {
-			return ((HttpStatus) this.status).value();
-		}
-		else {
-			return (Integer) this.status;
-		}
+	public int getRawStatusCode() {
+		return this.statusCode;
 	}
 
 	@Override
-	public String getStatusText() throws IOException {
-		if (this.status instanceof HttpStatus) {
-			return ((HttpStatus) this.status).getReasonPhrase();
-		}
-		else {
-			return "Custom http status";
-		}
+	public String getStatusText() {
+		HttpStatus status = HttpStatus.resolve(this.statusCode);
+		return (status != null ? status.getReasonPhrase() : "");
 	}
 
 	@Override
diff --git a/spring-test/src/main/java/org/springframework/test/web/client/response/DefaultResponseCreator.java b/spring-test/src/main/java/org/springframework/test/web/client/response/DefaultResponseCreator.java
index c902ea9fe095..001b33e053f2 100644
--- a/spring-test/src/main/java/org/springframework/test/web/client/response/DefaultResponseCreator.java
+++ b/spring-test/src/main/java/org/springframework/test/web/client/response/DefaultResponseCreator.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2002-2017 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2002-2022 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@
 package org.springframework.test.web.client.response;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
-import java.io.InputStream;
 import java.net.URI;
 import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
 
@@ -40,7 +39,7 @@
  */
 public class DefaultResponseCreator implements ResponseCreator {
 
-	private final Object statusCode;
+	private final int statusCode;
 
 	private byte[] content = new byte[0];
 
@@ -56,12 +55,13 @@ public class DefaultResponseCreator implements ResponseCreator {
 	 */
 	protected DefaultResponseCreator(HttpStatus statusCode) {
 		Assert.notNull(statusCode, "HttpStatus must not be null");
-		this.statusCode = statusCode;
+		this.statusCode = statusCode.value();
 	}
 
 	/**
 	 * Protected constructor.
 	 * Use static factory methods in {@link MockRestResponseCreators}.
+	 * @since 5.3.17
 	 */
 	protected DefaultResponseCreator(int statusCode) {
 		this.statusCode = statusCode;
@@ -119,24 +119,9 @@ public DefaultResponseCreator headers(HttpHeaders headers) {
 
 	@Override
 	public ClientHttpResponse createResponse(@Nullable ClientHttpRequest request) throws IOException {
-		MockClientHttpResponse response;
-		if (this.contentResource != null) {
-			InputStream stream = this.contentResource.getInputStream();
-			if (this.statusCode instanceof HttpStatus) {
-				response = new MockClientHttpResponse(stream, (HttpStatus) this.statusCode);
-			}
-			else {
-				response = new MockClientHttpResponse(stream, (Integer) this.statusCode);
-			}
-		}
-		else {
-			if (this.statusCode instanceof HttpStatus) {
-				response = new MockClientHttpResponse(this.content, (HttpStatus) this.statusCode);
-			}
-			else {
-				response = new MockClientHttpResponse(this.content, (Integer) this.statusCode);
-			}
-		}
+		MockClientHttpResponse response = (this.contentResource != null ?
+				new MockClientHttpResponse(this.contentResource.getInputStream(), this.statusCode) :
+				new MockClientHttpResponse(this.content, this.statusCode));
 		response.getHeaders().putAll(this.headers);
 		return response;
 	}
diff --git a/spring-test/src/main/java/org/springframework/test/web/client/response/MockRestResponseCreators.java b/spring-test/src/main/java/org/springframework/test/web/client/response/MockRestResponseCreators.java
index 92b4eabf1a09..73712ea5d895 100644
--- a/spring-test/src/main/java/org/springframework/test/web/client/response/MockRestResponseCreators.java
+++ b/spring-test/src/main/java/org/springframework/test/web/client/response/MockRestResponseCreators.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2002-2019 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2002-2022 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -118,10 +118,11 @@ public static DefaultResponseCreator withStatus(HttpStatus status) {
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * {@code ResponseCreator} with a specific HTTP status.
+	 * Variant of {@link #withStatus(HttpStatus)} for a custom HTTP status code.
 	 * @param status the response status
+	 * @since 5.3.17
 	 */
-	public static DefaultResponseCreator withStatus(int status) {
+	public static DefaultResponseCreator withRawStatus(int status) {
 		return new DefaultResponseCreator(status);
 	}
 
diff --git a/spring-test/src/test/java/org/springframework/test/web/client/response/ResponseCreatorsTests.java b/spring-test/src/test/java/org/springframework/test/web/client/response/ResponseCreatorsTests.java
index f42ca19964bd..a6d5f4e904b8 100644
--- a/spring-test/src/test/java/org/springframework/test/web/client/response/ResponseCreatorsTests.java
+++ b/spring-test/src/test/java/org/springframework/test/web/client/response/ResponseCreatorsTests.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2002-2020 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2002-2022 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -130,11 +130,11 @@ void withStatus() throws Exception {
 
 	@Test
 	void withCustomStatus() throws Exception {
-		DefaultResponseCreator responseCreator = MockRestResponseCreators.withStatus(454);
+		DefaultResponseCreator responseCreator = MockRestResponseCreators.withRawStatus(454);
 		MockClientHttpResponse response = (MockClientHttpResponse) responseCreator.createResponse(null);
 
 		assertThat(response.getRawStatusCode()).isEqualTo(454);
-		assertThat(response.getStatusText()).isEqualTo("Custom http status");
+		assertThat(response.getStatusText()).isEmpty();
 	}
 
 	@Test