BICKERING ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK
SO WHO are the Kings and Queens of Towie for whom the show has been the route to riches? ALISON BOSHOFF reports ...
GEMMA COLLINS (aka ‘The GC’)
A REGULAR since 2011, Gemma is a graduate of the Sylvia Young Stage school, but was selling used cars before being spotted by Towie producers. The 39-year-old is said to be worth €4 million, with a (ghost-written) bestselling autobiography plus GC: How To Be A Diva to her name.
Her reality TV appearances include Dancing On Ice (she was paid €110,000), Celebs Go Dating (€220,000), Celebrity MasterChef, Splash! and Celebrity Big Brother.
The second series of her ITVBe show Diva On Lockdown is now being filmed at her home in Brentwood, Essex. Last week she was seen whipping off her trousers in the street so they could be ironed before a photoshoot.
She is famous for her on/off romance with James ‘Arg’ Argent (currently off).
MARK WRIGHT
ORIGINAL Towie member Mark, 33, was a semi-professional footballer-turned-Essex nightclub promoter. Before the show he enjoyed minor fame as the best friend of Jack Tweed, husband of late reality TV star Jade Goody.
In the initial series much was made of his romance with Lauren Goodger, to whom he proposed. He went on to date Lucy Mecklenburgh but is now married to former Coronation Street actress Michelle Keegan.
Post-Towie he has appeared on I’m A Celebrity (he was runnerup) and Strictly Come Dancing (fourth). He also hosted US TV show Extra. He is now a DJ at UK radio station Heart, which pays him €165,000 a year.
His wealth has been estimated at €10 million, in part from his association with clothing brands Littlewoods and Matalan.
JOEY ESSEX
AMIABLE Joey, 30, right, made his debut in Series Two in 2011 and has since amassed a €6.5 million fortune.
Post-Towie he was in ski show The Jump, which he was paid a record €275,000 for — and won. He also appeared in Celebs Go Dating, Celebrity Ex On The Beach, Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins and Splash! In 2013, he joined I’m A Celebrity for a reported €65,000 and caused a sensation with bon mots including: ‘I told you I’m good at counting! I used to count all the time.’
The release of an autobiography and two fragrances have added to his fortune, as did his range of D’Reem hair products, although his fashion business failed in 2016.
AMY CHILDS
ONE of the stars of the early years of Towie, 30-year-old Amy, below, has not proved to have a Midas touch in business, despite still being worth an estimated €5.5million. Accounts reveal that two of her companies — Vajazzle Enterprises Ltd and Dolly Diamonds — are dormant after filing accounts showing losses totall-ing nearly €825,000 in 2016. She has endorsed tanning products, eyelashes, perfumes and a nursery furniture brand, and released a fitness DVD. More recently, she has become the face of a diet system. There was also a stint on Celebrity Big Brother and a show, It’s All About Amy. In an interview last year she said that she regretted all of her cosmetic surgery. ‘I honestly look back at pictures now and I look like a freak,’ she said.
LAUREN GOODGER
THE 33-year-old was one of the founding members of Towie. Early shows revolved around her tenyear on/off romance with Mark Wright. They split in 2011 and she left the show in 2012.
Said to be worth €2.3million, she promoted a beauty range, Lauren’s Way, did Celebrity Big Brother in 2014 and now sells saucy videos of herself on OnlyFans, a content
subscription site.
SAM AND BILLIE FAIERS
THE sisters are arguably the most successful alumnae of the show. Sam, 29, appeared in 11 series and is said to be worth €9.8million, while Billie has been in ten series and is said to be around €4.5 million. The pair fronted The Mummy Diaries on ITVBe — being paid €385,000 a series each — and have endorsed a vast range of products from eyelashes and nappies to prams, while frequently gracing the pages of glossy mags Hello and OK!
TOMMY MALLET
THE 28-year-old started on Towie in 2014 and has used the show to launch a successful footwear brand, Mallet Footwear. His trainers are stocked in major stores and he’s said to be worth around €1 million. Tommy lives in Brentwood, Essex, with girlfriend and fellow Towie star Georgia Kousoulou.