The rich and famous... and wasteful

THE rich are different. They are also sometimes ridiculously extravagant.

Take a bow, Sharon Osbourne, for spending £230,000 a year to fly your two dogs Bella and Rocky first class.

Why? Because The X Factor judge is a frequent flyer and she has a unique way of managing the stress of long flights.

She takes her two pooches with her and gets around the tough airline rules on pets by buying them individual seats beside her in first class.

Her two fluffy Pomeranian dogs also have their own passports costing £400 each.

Now Sharon, who at 64 years of age is still working hard and is reputedly worth £180m, has every right to spend her money in whatever way she chooses.

And no doubt Bella and Rocky enjoy their fully reclining business class seats and the selection of doggie biscuits and mineral water they are served.

Sharon regularly flies from her home in Los Angeles to London to film The X Factor and then returns to the US hours after Sunday’s live show.

It’s a punishing schedule for any woman.

Mind you, living with Ozzy must be a bit of a rollercoaster ride too – so perhaps Bella and Rocky keep her calm and happy.

But when you think of what a difference that staggering sum of money could make to the lives of two children in Aleppo or Haiti whose homes have been devastated, it does seem wasteful in the extreme.