Could Mark and Michelle overthrow the Beckhams with “brand Wright”?
Mark Wright & Michelle Keegan become the UK’s ‘richest young TV couple’ with a £13m fortune Friends reveal how they have transformed their images and careers to become a power couple It comes amid reports that Michelle could even become a WAG as footbal
They recently became one of the richest young couples in the UK, raking in £2.6m last year alone, thanks to her acting and fashion career and his string of highprofile presenting jobs. While Michelle Keegan has reportedly amassed a £4m fortune since leaving Coronation Street in
2014 – thanks to starring roles in BBC1’s Our Girl, launching fashion ranges for Lipsy and Very and putting her name to beauty products for Ambre Solaire – her husband Mark Wright is estimated to have earned a whopping £9m through his presenting and DJ work, and his recent launch of online workout sessions Train Wright.
AMBITION
Now reports say there could be yet another big payday heading their way with Michelle becoming a WAG, as football fanatic Mark – who played for Tottenham Hotspur Youth Academy as a child – is reportedly being signed up to Essex club Billericay Town FC, alongside former top-flight footballers, including Spurs’ Jamie O’Hara and Arsenal’s Jermaine Pennant.
A source tell Closer, “Mark and Michelle are both at the top of their game right now, but this could be just the beginning for them. They both have a lot of ambition and plenty more boxes left to tick.
“Mark was canny after TOWIE. Instead of splurging all his cash on partying, like some of the lads from the show, he used his platform to build a career. Even though it didn’t always go to plan and he got some knock-backs [his ITV2 show, Mark Wright’s Hollywood Nights was dropped after one series], he kept pushing to achieve his goals. Now he’s keen to go down the fitness route with online coaching. He’s already being hailed as the ‘new Joe Wicks’ for his workouts, and playing football would fit in nicely with that brand.
“Michelle has exactly the same drive and determination. Corrie was her first role and now she is arguably the UK’s most sought-after actress. She’s being inundated with offers, from TV dramas to beauty and fashion ranges. Soap stars aren’t allowed to advertise for brands, but now she is free to do it, everyone wants her as the face of their product – she simply doesn’t have the time to take on all the megabucks deals she is being offered.”
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
The couple, both 33, have recently celebrated their success by buying and renovating their £1.3m dream home in Essex – a far cry from their humble beginnings, when club promoter Mark was paid
just £50 a day to film TOWIE in 2010, while Michelle worked as a checkout girl at Selfridges in the Trafford Centre in Manchester, before landing her first-ever acting role on Corrie in 2008.
They married in 2015, but were soon forced to deny rumours that their hectic work schedules were causing tension when Mark relocated to LA for a year as a showbiz reporter for Extra, rubbing shoulders with A-listers like Tom Cruise.
POWER COUPLE
But showing they are stronger than ever, Mark recently invited his wife of five years on to his radio show – which was recorded from their home during lockdown – to promote her latest series of Brassic, admitting to being her “biggest fan”.
He also previously gushed about becoming emotional watching her scenes on Our Girl and wrote, “So proud of her… she’s amazing”. And Michelle is equally as doting, revealing she was “so proud” of him when he achieved US fame by becoming a presenter on Extra. The source continues, “Mark and Michelle work as a team. They’re successful because they’re so supportive and encouraging of one another to reach their full potential. They’ve discussed every career move in detail as they focus on building themselves as a ‘couple brand’. They know ‘power couples’ like Posh and Becks have done really well and they can see themselves forging a similar level of success, maybe even bigger!”
Last week, Michelle acted as the perfect advertisement for her husband’s workouts, as she showed off her incredible physique on Instagram, crediting daily Train Wright sessions. Mark praised her “cracking set of abs” after their lockdown workouts together, and said he “still can’t believe his luck” that he’s married to her. During her soap days, Michelle – then engaged to The Wanted singer Max George, 31 – said she “hated the gym” but now, as well as having a home gym, she says she has a cleaner diet – eating high-protein foods like eggs and chicken and avoiding carbs in the evenings. Michelle even has a sportswear collection for Very. And though she’s never admitted to having any cosmetic procedures, surgeons have previously told Closer it’s likely she has had “tweakments” such as Botox to achieve her glossier image.
CASHING IN
The source continues, “Michelle and Mark work hard, and that includes fostering their image. Michelle feels she and Mark bring out the best in each other. He is very disciplined when it comes to his fitness and diet, and that has rubbed off on her. She’s eating and training well and feels more energised and confident. They’ve seen the likes of the Beckhams and Kim and Kanye cashing in on their looks by becoming the faces of big-brand names and it’s something they feel they can emulate.”
When Mark was catapulted to fame on TOWIE, he was engaged to Lauren Goodger, but their toxic relationship broke down amid rows and allegations of infidelity. The source says his and Michelle’s strong marriage has helped both of them achieve their status. They explain, “The public are more invested in a stable couple, and that’s what Michelle and Mark have proved they are. They’re also well liked among their peers as they don’t behave like divas. Mark and Michelle know they are stronger together, and it’s their likeability as a couple that has helped them become the UK’s richest TV couple.”