Shopping addict:
After being hounded by debt collectors for £30,000, hospital worker Tracey Chapman turned to sex work
“I became a dominatrix at 47 to clear my debts”
❛I EARNED UP TO £3,000 A WEEK AND IT WAS THERAPEUTIC❜
Wearing a shiny black PVC outfit, grandmother Tracey Chapman shook with nerves as she embarked on her new career. After years of working in shops and hospitals, she was about to meet her first client in her new role as a dominatrix.
But what started out as a way of paying off the debts she’d racked up due to her shopping addiction, ended up giving her enough of a confidence boost to quit her spending habit.
DESPERATE
Tracey, 48, who lives in south London, explains, “I did it out of desperation as the credit card and catalogue companies were constantly calling about my debts. But I enjoyed myself and it’s made me more confident.”
Tracey’s shopping addiction spiralled out of control after she split with her husband five years ago.
She explains, “I was 42 and felt old and unattractive. Shopping cheered me up. I bought some big things, like a sofa and a TV, but mainly it was clothes – high street stuff, but I’d buy something every day. I’d briefly feel better, then I’d need the buzz of shopping again.”
Last year, Tracey – whose grandchild is five – hit rock bottom. Her salary as a hospital switchboard operator barely covered her bills and her debts were mounting up. She searched online for jobs to earn extra money and remembered an article she’d read about a dominatrix.
She explains, “I knew I couldn’t do escorting and have sex with men, but I thought I could handle being a dominatrix. I found Jan, who worked as one, in an online forum. She lived near me and offered to show me the ropes.
“We met up and she explained she had her own dungeon and that we could share clients, as some men like to see two women at a time.”
Last June, Tracey, whose dominatrix name is Crystal, bought a black PVC catsuit and a wig on ebay and saw her first client with Jan.
She says, “I was terrified, but Jan explained that the men would say what they wanted beforehand. Because she was there too, I felt calm. After a few minutes, I got into it – cracking a whip and telling the client, who was in his 50s, that he was worthless and pathetic. The session lasted two hours and I was paid £500.”
CONFIDENT
She adds, “I was soon seeing up to 15 clients a week, working around my job at the hospital. The men were always over 40, and most of them were married.
“Some liked being whipped, some liked having hot wax poured over them, and others just enjoyed being verbally abused. I refused to do anything more sexual. I’d work with Jan, other times she’d get me to see her clients if she was busy. I earned up to £3,000 a week, and it was therapeutic.
“My relationship history is terrible. I split up with the father of my two children, Stacey, who’s now 24, and Daniel, 22, when Daniel was two, because we argued a lot. Then followed a string of disastrous relationships, including two where the men ended up stalking me. I’d picture them when I hit my clients!”
But Tracey, who’s single, had to give up last November after Jan got married and quit her business. Tracey says, “I didn’t want to stop, but I also didn’t want clients visiting the home I share with my mum and son, although they were supportive. My daughter was too, though we never really talked about it. I was too nervous to meet clients in their own homes, so I gave it up.
“But I’ve paid off £20,000 of debt and I’ve stopped shopping. Working as a dominatrix has made me feel more confident and I don’t feel the need to shop for a buzz any more.”