‘I worked long hours acting in two shows and singing... but I made six figures’

Former Coronation Street actress VICTORIA EKANOYE struggled to make ends meet as a jobbing actor before she got her big break on stage in London’s West End. She went on to earn a six-figure sum playing the Queen’s secretary in The Royals and Angie Appleton in Coronation Street. She has also appeared in reality TV shows, The Chase: Celebrity Special, The Big Quiz, and The X Factor: Celebrity. Ekanoye, 39, whose grandmother Maggie is from Dublin, became a mother recently after giving birth to a baby boy with partner Jonny Lomas, 32.

What did your parents teach you about money?

My parents split up when I was a baby and my father was never part of my life. My sister and I were raised by my mother – an absolute super hero. She taught me how important it is to make a budget and put aside money for a rainy day. She was a hairdresser. We never felt like we went without because we valued what we had. That lesson has stuck with me: you don’t have to have material things to be happy or content.

Have you ever struggled to make ends meet?

Yes. I struggled for six years after I moved to London. I was 18 and wanted to throw myself into my career – singing, dancing and acting – but I also had to earn money to get by. So I went straight into bar work, doing evening and weekend shifts so I could go to auditions during the day.

How did you find the will to keep going?

There were times when I wondered if I had made the right decision. I missed my family and I thought about going home. But my mother would tell me she had no doubt in her mind that I would succeed. She would say, ‘You just push through.’ She believed in me and that made a big difference. Eventually, after about six years, I got my first break: a solid, regular acting job in The Lion King (on the West End). At that point, it all changed but no matter how much I’ve gone on to earn, I’ve put money aside because I never know when I am going to need it.

Have you ever been paid silly money?

Yes. I did a job in the Seychelles where I was paid several thousand pounds to sing on stage for 20 minutes. They paid to fly me out and stay in an amazing hotel. It felt like I was being paid to go on holiday.

What was the best year of your financial life?

It was 2018. I worked long hours doing private singing gigs while filming two TV shows – The Royals and Coronation Street. It was crazy but I made a six-figure sum that year.

What is your biggest money mistake?

Not buying a house in 2007 when I was in my 20s. At the time I couldn’t decide where I wanted to settle.

The best money decision you have made?

To spend £120 on a plane ticket to visit my friend Jonny in France. He had been a friend for a long time. There had always been a connection between us but we had never acted on it. Jonny is now my partner. It was money well spent.

Do you save into a pension or invest in the stock market?

No, I don’t. At the moment, all the money I’m saving is going towards the property that Jonny and I want to build in the South of France – between Nice and Monaco. Jonny works in construction and property and he’s brilliant at what he does. Rather than renovating somewhere, it is our dream to build our own family home. We’re planning to buy some land, design our home and build everything from the ground up ourselves.

The most expensive thing you bought for fun?

It was a Peugeot RCZ for £16,000 in 2019. I bought it outright and it felt great.

Do you own any property?

No. I’ve moved in with Jonny, and either stay with family or in hotels when I’m in England.

If you were in charge of national finances, what would you do?

I would pour more funding into helping the homeless. There is too much inequality. It makes me really sad. I would also increase funding for healthcare and raise the salaries of people working on the front line. They are just not paid enough.