Ashley James was broke while filming Made in Chelsea
Reality TV star Ashley James was "the poorest I’ve ever been" while filming Made in Chelsea revealing she couldn't afford rent and lived off her overdraft.
Ashley James was "the poorest" she's "ever been" while filming Made in Chelsea.
The 38-year-old reality TV star joined the posh cast of the E4 reality series as an extra before being promoted to the main cast, but Ashley has revealed she was paid just £50 per filming session and had to be on call so she couldn't take on other work - and it left her so broke she couldn't afford rent and she had to live off her overdraft.
She told The Times newspaper: "One of the things that motivated me to say ‘yes’ to Made in Chelsea initially was the idea that it would make me very ric.
"And yet I was the poorest I’ve ever been when I was on that show ...
"The irony wasn’t lost on me that I was on a show about really rich people while living in my friend’s childhood home, deep in my overdraft."
However, Ashley insists she has "no regrets" over her decision to join the show.
Ashley went on to carve out a successful TV career after leaving Made In Chelsea with jobs including a regular slot on ITV's This Morning.
However, she recently admitted she has turned down "big" projects because of crippling mum guilt.
Ashely admitted separation anxiety was impacting her four-year-old son Alfie, but the move has allowed her to spend time with him and her daughter Ada, two, whom she has with her partner Tommy Andrews.
She told Closer magazine: "I don't work the regular 9-to-5 and I can't be there for every bedtime or nursery drop off, so Tommy and I juggle.
"However, the last few weeks, I was so busy and missed quite a few bedtimes. It was having a real impact on Alfie with separation anxiety, and that's so hard to navigate.
"I had to say no to a few big things so I could spend that quality time with him and my daughter."
Ashley said she is a "better mum" when she has "breaks" and gets to work on projects she is "passionate about".
She continued: "Being a working mum is challenging because of the burden of mum guilt.
"We don't ever use that term for dads, though. Dads are just expected to work and that's that. We still expect mums to work full-time and be the homemaker they were decades ago. It's setting ourselves up for failure.
"The reality is I could never be a stay-at-home mum, though. There are some mums that flourish when they spend so much time with their children, but I'm a better mum when I have breaks and get to work on things I'm passionate about."
