THE FAMOUS PEOPLE WHO LOST A FORTUNE

Marion McMullen looks at stars who faced bankruptcy

1

FORMER glamour model and ex-Loose Women presenter Katie Price, pictured left, was once said to be worth more than £40 million, but has just been given 12 weeks to pay off her debts. The 40-year-old, formerly known as Jordan, avoided bankruptcy after reaching a deal with her creditors this week. Her representative said later she was working with her advisers to resolve her current financial issues.

2

GEORGE Best was the golden boy of football in the 1960s. He invested in shops, bars and a nightclub, but was made bankrupt in 1982 over unpaid taxes of

£22,000. The Manchester United legend once said: “I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars – the rest I squandered.”

3

NIGHTCLUB owner Peter Stringfellow bounced back when his three American nightclubs went into liquidation in 1993 following the economic recession and he was declared bankrupt. The “King of Clubs” was thought to be worth more than £30m when he died in June this year.

4

ECCENTRIC British boxer Chris Eubank was world champion for five years, but was declared bankrupt back in 1995, with a tax bill for £1.3 million. He has said: “Not being born to parents who were accountants was probably my biggest mistake.”

5

THINGS went sour for Atomic Kitten’s Kerry Katona after the group broke up. She was declared bankrupt in 2009 over tax bills of £82,000. She was declared bankrupt again in 2013. Interviewed on ITV’s This Morning in September, the 38-year-old said of her life: “Steven Spielberg couldn’t write most of that. I think I’ve done really well to overcome it.”

6

WESTLIFE singer Shane Filan was forced to sell his Sligo mansion and declare bankruptcy in 2012 with debts of 23 million euros. It followed the collapse of his property company which had taken out loans during the economic boom. He later said: “I was very scared, obviously, but you’ve got to keep looking forward.”

7

TV PRESENTER Gail Porter was declared bankrupt last year over tax arrears and says work stopped when she lost her hair to alopecia. Gail, whose rear was once projected onto the Houses of Parliament, said she even slept for a time on a park bench because she was too ashamed to admit she had lost her home.

8

GAMESHOW presenter Ted Rogers was one of the best known faces on ITV thanks to gameshow 3-2-1. It was watched by up to 17 million viewers and brought him in £130,000 a year in the early 1980s. However, a failed business venture saw him declared bankrupt in 1992. His last Mercedes was repossessed when he was signing autographs for fans, but he made sure all his creditors were paid.

9

FORMER I’m A Celebrity winner Christopher Biggins went into voluntary bankruptcy after his work on Surprise, Surprise with Cilla Black ended and job offers evaporated. He says it took just over a year to repay his creditors.

10

EX-EASTENDERS actor Joe Swash won the 2008 series of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, but he was declared bankrupt a year later and again in 2013. He said: “I fell behind on tax and bills and buried my head in the sand... I should have faced up to it.”