‘I got paid £45k for a day’s work and put it down on a new house’

Former Arsenal footballer Scarlette Douglas is now a TV presenter best known for her role on Channel 4’s TV show A Place in the Sun, which helps people find homes in warmer climates. When offered a twosecond part in a Sure deodorant advert, she expected to be paid £500. Instead, she received £45,000 for a single day’s work – which she put down as a deposit on a new house.

The savvy 32-year-old property investor lives with her mum but now owns a couple of buy-to-let properties and is considering buying her very own place in the sun in Valencia, Spain. Her new show, Last Minute Holiday Secrets Unpacked, can be downloaded via the Channel 4 website or player. What did your parents teach you about money?

To work hard for it. Money was tight when I was growing up. In the 1980s, my dad founded WNK, the country’s first legal black radio station. But it went bust in 1993 and he lost a lot of money. After that, my father worked crazy hours as a chauffeur while my mother worked in a call centre and as a cleaner. My parents showed me that if I wanted to become successful, I would have to work hard. What was the first paid work you ever did?

Pretending to be ‘baby bear’ at a Teddy Bears’ Picnic held at my local park. It was summer, I was 12 and I got paid £50 to dress up in a bear costume. It was the best job ever. Have you ever struggled to make ends meet?

No, never. My parents made sacrifices so that I did not have to struggle. They remortgaged their home to pay for me to go to a performing arts college. I then got a job in musical theatre. I have been lucky because from then on I have never been out of work. Have you ever been paid silly money?

Yes, in 2015 when I did a commercial for Sure deodorant. In it, I’m pretending to be in the gym doing weights. My part only lasts two seconds, if that. The payment was £500 for one day of filming. I was told I would also get another £3,000 if the advert was broadcast in the first few months after filming, but initially Sure decided not to show it at all. Then, six months later, the company changed its mind. So my agent negotiated a fee of £14,000. Then, another six months later, it wanted to run it again and my agent negotiated another £30,000. In total, I was paid £45,000. I still cannot believe I earned that much for a day’s work. I used it to put down a deposit on a house. What was the best year of your financial life? 2015. As well as the Sure commercial, I also started presenting A Place In

The Sun. I ended up making more than £100,000. What is the most expensive thing you bought for fun?

An eight-day holiday to Barbados and Miami for £3,500. I go abroad a lot for

A Place In The Sun, but I don’t really get a chance to switch off so holidays are important and I love travelling. The best money decision you have made?

Investing in property with my elder brother. My best investment was the first property we bought, a rundown one-bedroom apartment in Barnet, North London. We bought it for £195,000 in 2012, spent £30,000 renovating it and sold it eight months later for £265,000. Do you save into a pension?

No, I do not. I am hoping property will be my pension. I own two buy-tolet properties – one in Surrey and one in Enfield, North London – and am planning to buy more. Do you own any other property?

No, I do not. My mother and I are looking at buying together in Valencia, Spain. It is definitely the place to buy at the moment. What is the one little luxury you treat yourself to?

I like a body scrub massage from a local masseur. I get a 20-minute scrub and then a full-body massage. If you were in Government what is the first thing you would do?

I would levy a special income tax on footballers who earn ridiculous amounts and use the cash generated to provide more funding for the NHS. Do you invest in the stock market?

No, I would not know where to start. Do you donate money to charity?

Yes, I do. I am an ambassador for Action On Hearing Loss and a supporter of the Royal Association for Deaf People. Those charities are close to my heart. I have been studying sign language for three years. What is your No 1 financial priority?

To make as much money as possible so I can send my mum and dad on beautiful holidays. My parents have done so much for me over the years.