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Intalk nt to and ally ass. still sayould anyme very e in Only Way Is Essex. But her dizzy comments and “vajazzles” made her an overnight star. She explains: “When I got asked to do Towie I was working in a salon full-time. It was someone else’s salon but I had all my private clients. I was a workaholic. I wasn’t a girl who wanted to go on telly.
“But after the first series it went mental. After the first episode I had paparazzi at my door. I was supposed to be going to work that day but could barely get out of the house.
“I couldn’t believe it. We never expected it to be so big.
“When I made money from Towie, I invested it in houses and my businesses. I learned about the business world and how to invest wisely.
“David Sullivan, the West Ham owner, said to me during the first series of Towie to invest in property. So I bought my first house. I lived with my parents though.
“Now I own four houses in Essex. I have my salon, my shop, my fashion range and more.”
And Amy, whose most extravagant purchase was her £100,000 Range Rover which she bought outright – slams other girls who are happy to marry a rich man and sit at home spending his money.
“I could never be a housewife,” she says. “I always want to earn my own money. Loads of girls in Essex just target a rich bloke who’ll pay for anything. I would never do that.”
But Amy admits there are downsides to fame. She can’t enjoy nights out like she used to because she gets targeted by jealous girls who try to harm her.
“I’m 25, I still want to go out and have fun but it’s not safe,” she reveals. “Girls get so lairy when they’ve had a drink. One girl followed me to the toilet and tried to fight me.
“Girls should be supportive of other girls. I don’t do many PAs because these girls get drunk and start on me.”
But Amy’s new boyfriend Brad Wright couldn’t care less that his girl is famous. “He’s a builder and so down to earth,” she says. “We like cosy nights in and he hates the fame thing.”
Amy insists the staff in her Brentwood salon stick to her brand, and even once sacked a girl who turned up without a full face of make-up. “It was a difficult situation,” she says. “She was falling out with her boyfriend every day, coming in late with no make-up on and crying all day. The Amy Childs brand has to be glam, friendly and with make-up on.”
But she admits she isn’t a very strict boss: “I don’t have to be strict because they do everything anyway.
“There have been tough times building up the business. I struggle with the numbers and have to spend longer going over things. And my mum sits with me at home to go over it again. But I’ve come a long way. Not many 21- year-olds could do what I did.” Amy Childs’ debut business book is out October 8. Her new fashion collection is out now, visit amychildsofficial.co.uk. The Gracie dress, right, is £70.