I earned thousands in ten minutes for a voice-over – and it felt like MILLIONS
TV star worked in New Look, then was told she looked like Cat Deeley...
Q What did your parents teach you about money?
A HOW to live within your means. My dad was a travelling salesman and Mum was a nursery teacher. Money was quite tight but I never realised that when I was growing up. They drove a clappedout banger and Mum al ways reminds me of one Christmas when she only had a fiver to spend on presents. But my parents were good with money – careful and selfless – and even though they did not earn much, I never noticed we were poorer than most until I got to secondary school. Whatever money they did have, they made it go far.
Q What was the first paid work you ever did?
WORKING in a local pub as a pot-washer when I was 14. It was relentless. I had prune hands at the end of the night and I will never forget how black with burnt grease some of the pots were. It was the worst of jobs.
Q Have you ever struggled to make ends meet?
A YES, after I left school at 18. I did three auditions for drama school but did not get in so I got a part-time job at retailer New Look. Then someone said I looked like Cat Deeley so I started thinking about trying to get a job as a presenter in my spare time.
Sometimes I felt like I was leading a double life. I would go off and audition for a cool presenting job, then the next day I would be back at New Look. It was hard.
Q Have you ever been paid silly money for a job?
A YES, for a voice- over that only took ten minutes. It was amazing. I do not want to say how much I got paid, but it was in the thousands of pounds. It took such a short time – it felt like millions.
Q What was the best year of your life in terms of the money you made?
A LAST year. It was a good one for me. I started at radio station Heart and became better known in the industry which led to lots of presenting work as well as my main job.
I have definitely noticed a shift in attitudes towards female presenters as people become more aware of the gender pay gap. I think there are more opportunities than there used to be. When I got my own show I felt such an amazing sense of freedom. Heart gave me control and told me to talk about what I wanted to. It has been wonderful.
Q What is the most expensive thing you have ever bought yourself just for fun?
A IT was a week- l ong all - i nclusive l uxury holiday to Cancun, Mexico. My boyfriend and I split it fifty-fifty. It cost several thousand pounds, but we did not care. We just thought: ‘S** it, we will treat ourselves.’
Q What is the best money decision you have made?
A OVERSAVING. I learnt from my father to save a bit more than I need to. It gives me security. I try to save about ten per cent of my income each year.
Q What is the biggest money mistake you have ever made?
A I DO not really know. I think one day I will look back and regret spendi ng more t han £ 100,000 renting in London for eight years. I have never worked out exactly how much it has cost me because it would trigger nightmares. But you have to do what you have to do. I wish I could have afforded to buy when I first moved to London, but I could not and I am still renting to this day.
Q Do you save into a pension or invest in the stock market?
A I STARTED saving i nto a pension three years ago. I thought I had better start behaving like a grown-up.
As I am self-employed I do not get any pension contribution from Heart. My accountant has everything sorted.
I do not invest in the stock market other than through my pension because I would not have a clue about any of that.
Q Do you own any property?
A NO. I am currently saving to get on the housing ladder. If I cannot find somewhere affordable in London I may purchase a buy-tolet elsewhere.
Q Do you pay off your credit cards in full?
A YES, religiously. I have a direct debit set up to clear the outstanding sum every month.
Q How much cash do you typically carry?
A NONE. I use Apple Pay on my mobile phone and cards instead. I think carrying cash is dying out.
Q What is the one little luxury you like to treat yourself to?
A ONCE a month a half- hour massage for £30. I like a proper back cracking, hard-pressure massage which is why I do not get hourlong treatments. I do not like it when they spend the last ten minutes just wafting you with a towel.
Q If you were Chancellor what is the first thing you would do?
A I WOULD raise the wages of everyone who works for the National Health Service and state schools. My mum is a teacher and my best friend is a nurse. I know the hours they do and how hard they work. I love my chosen profession but I feel like they do proper jobs and they deserve higher pay.
Q Do you donate money to charity?
A I DO but I like giving my time as well because I think it is really important. Every few months I spend a few hours with the people who go to my local Leonard Cheshire disability centre. It is lovely – I come out feeling like I appreciate everything I have got.
Q What is your number one financial priority?
A SAVING for a deposit. No one likes the feeling of paying for someone else’s mortgage.