Made In Chelsea stars who have struggled to afford their glamorous lives – from being left ‘homeless’ to facing countless debts

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For years, Made in Chelsea has presented a view into the wealthy and luxurious lifestyle of West London’s privileged residents, showcasing things like readily available champagne, high-end fashion, and exotic vacations.

This popular reality show, which first aired in 2011, centers around a group of wealthy and connected friends, and their lives are full of drama, romance, and luxury.

Whether through family wealth or successful businesses, these individuals present an image of extreme wealth and privilege.

But scratch beneath the polished surface and a different story begins to emerge.

Many celebrities, despite appearing to live glamorous lives, have secretly battled financial difficulties and the stress of maintaining that image.

Here, the Daily Mail looks at the stars who have faced money struggles.

Ashley James

Earlier this year, Ashley James shared that she was facing serious financial difficulties while filming Made in Chelsea, and was significantly overdrawn.

The 38-year-old TV star first appeared on the E4 reality show as a background cast member before becoming a main cast member.

She shared that she only earned £50 for each filming session, and being constantly on standby prevented her from finding other jobs.

Ashley shared that she was completely out of money and couldn’t pay her rent, even though she often appeared wealthy on social media.

She admitted to The Times that a major reason she joined Made in Chelsea was the potential to earn a lot of money. Ironically, she was actually at her most financially strained while appearing on the show.

It was pretty ironic being on a show featuring incredibly wealthy people when my own finances were a mess and I was still crashing at my friend’s old place, constantly overdrawn at the bank.

However, Ashley insisted she has ‘no regrets’ over her decision to join the show.

After leaving Made In Chelsea, I really focused on building a career in television, and I’m thrilled to say it paid off! I became a regular contributor to ITV’s This Morning, which was a fantastic opportunity and a real highlight for me.

Ollie Locke

Earlier this month, Ollie Locke shared that he was deeply embarrassed and felt his good name had been damaged due to an outstanding rent payment he and his husband, Gareth, owed.

The 39-year-old Made In Chelsea star revealed to the Daily Mail that he experienced a personal crisis and felt worse than ever before.

He also revealed he spent around £500,000 on IVF and surrogacy in his journey to fatherhood.

To pay for fertility treatments, he sold the house he used to live in. He and his husband, Gareth, then welcomed twins, Apollo and Cosima, through surrogacy in July 2023.

After selling a property and facing significant expenses related to fertility treatments, Ollie and Gareth moved into a £4 million, four-bedroom house in Chelsea. They later fell behind on rent by £25,000 and were forced to move out in February.

Ollie explained to the Daily Mail that he was warned IVF could cost around £150,000. He considered remortgaging his house to fund the treatment, hoping to raise enough money that way.

We had to sell our house because we were struggling financially. We’d faced a lot of heartbreak, losing six pregnancies before finally having two children, which involved significant costs – around £500,000 in total. When an acceptable offer came along, we felt we had no other choice but to accept it.

We longed for children, but the process took four years due to complications from Covid and legal requirements.

The couple shared their financial difficulties with the Daily Mail, explaining they were £45,000 behind on rent and related expenses after falling three months behind on payments. This includes unpaid rent, late fees, and legal costs.

The tenants are responsible for the outstanding costs, along with another tenant listed on the lease. This third tenant paid her rent to Ollie and Gareth, but they didn’t forward the payments to the property owner.

Ollie stated that both he and Gareth are fully committed to paying back the money they owe, allowing them to rebuild their lives.

I’m feeling terrible right now. I’ve been hurt by some friends who’ve revealed their true selves, and I’m also struggling with the worst depression I’ve ever experienced. It all led to a really difficult breakdown, he said.

Ollie and Gareth got married in 2020 at the Natural History Museum in London, and their wedding was featured on the E4 show, Made In Chelsea.

They’re now prioritizing raising their twin children and are planning to leave their glamorous, high-profile life in West London to do so.

Ollie admitted that after being on the reality show for a while, he’d been pretending to live a lavish life – things like drinking champagne and going on trips to fancy estates – even though it wasn’t really true.

Gareth explained they decided to move to escape painful memories and start fresh. Their previous home held a lot of negative experiences for them.

We’ve found a new place to live that we really love! It’s a wonderful neighborhood with lots of families and older residents.

We’re realizing we need a different way of life. Chelsea is great, but it’s more focused on nightlife and going out, and isn’t really set up for families.

Lonan O’Herlihy

Lonan O’Herlihy, a contestant on season 8, faced a legal issue that resulted in him losing his home.

Known as ‘Posh PT’, he took legal action against the widow of wealthy property developer Hugh Taylor because he wasn’t included in the will and received no inheritance.

The case against Jennifer Taylor was dismissed by a judge, who determined the 36-year-old reality TV star had little chance of winning and had waited over four years to file the lawsuit.

Lonan, a cast member on season eight of Made In Chelsea with stars like Spencer Matthews and Binky Felstead, requested £5 million from the estate, claiming he was entitled to it through inheritance laws.

He stated that Hugh, who was with Lonan’s mother, Pamela, from 1995 to 2004, had been a supportive father figure. This included paying for his education at Malvern College and Oxford Brookes University, as well as funding his expensive lifestyle.

Hugh gave him a £5,000 watch for his 18th birthday in 2007, then covered the costs for him and ten friends to spend two weeks at a house in Florida. For his 21st birthday, Hugh bought him an Audi valued at approximately £45,000.

Shortly after that conversation, Hugh began funding his stepson’s travels to Australia, New York, and St. Lucia, hoping to support his career in real estate.

When the millionaire passed away in June 2019, his estate of £38.5 million – which included luxury homes, vintage cars, and a World War II airplane – was mostly left to his wife, Jennifer, as outlined in his will from 2015.

The 36-year-old man could now be required to pay around £2 million in legal fees after the judge dismissed his lawsuit.

The judge ruled that Lonan must pay the trial costs, which exceeded £2 million. His lawyers called the amount ‘astronomical’.

This total includes £1.5 million in legal fees for the widow, £163,000 claimed by the estate administrator Keith Upsdell (who was added to the case), and £355,000 owed to Lonan’s legal team.

Speaking afterwards, Lonan insisted that the case had never been about greed. 

‘My earliest memories of a father figure in my life are of Hugh,’ he said outside court.

He was like a father to me and gave me wonderful memories. I’m so grateful to have known him.

I didn’t bring this lawsuit to get a large payout. I simply wanted to keep a small portion of what Hugh had said he planned to leave for me.

Hugh’s last years were difficult, and unfortunately, I couldn’t stay in touch with him, even though I tried repeatedly.

He was my father figure from age five, but we lost contact unexpectedly when I was twenty-two. I’m hoping to eventually learn where he’s buried so I can visit his final resting place and honor him.

Even though things didn’t turn out as expected, I’ll always cherish the impact Hugh had on my life. I’m hoping to buy some of his belongings from the estate sale to keep his memory alive for those who loved him.

These past few years have been difficult, but I accept the court’s decision and hold no grudges against Mrs. Taylor. I’m now looking forward to focusing on my future and my work.

Miles Nazaire

Miles Nazaire shot to fame in 2018 during series 15 of Made In Chelsea.

He stayed for seven years before confirming his departure in September 2025, ahead of his 30th. 

Everyone knew the reality star for his fun-loving personality and complicated relationships, but it seems the biggest challenges in his life have been happening privately.

Even though the celebrity shows off a lavish lifestyle online, his company is actually around £100,000 in debt. This means he personally owes a significant amount of money, even if it’s through his business.

Since last July, he still hasn’t repaid the £82,100 in taxes he owes the British government following his company’s failure.

The wellbeing influencer’s company, LGI Productions Ltd, currently owes the UK tax authority approximately £47,000 in VAT and over £38,000 in corporation tax.

Records show the reality star’s company owes about £11,000 to the accountancy firm Sobell Rhodes, adding up to nearly £100,000 in total debts.

The Daily Mail reached out to the influencer’s team for a statement, but they haven’t replied yet.

You can read the full article here.  

Tabitha Willett

Tabitha Willett is showing off her large engagement ring on Instagram, a gift from her wealthy fiancé, Harry Hoare.

It might be surprising to learn that the influencer reportedly still owes her previous landlord, Charlotte Hill, a significant amount of money – £11,107.

In October 2024, Harriet Kean of the Daily Mail reported that Tabitha was convicted in court for damaging a £1.8 million Kensington apartment she had rented for eight months in 2022.

She marked up the walls with makeup and drawings, put holes in them for hanging things like pictures and a TV, and left a £9,000 carpet stained by her dog. She also damaged the stovetop.

I’ve been following this case closely, and it’s really frustrating. She was supposed to pay Ms. Hills, who’s based in Monaco, a total of £4,749 – they’d agreed on payments of £600 each month. But unfortunately, she only managed to make six payments before stopping last September. It’s a shame to see things stall like this.

Reports indicated she was significantly behind on rent for her upscale two-bedroom apartment, owing a total of £11,107. This included a substantial unpaid portion of the £3,500 monthly rent.

In 2024, Charlotte took legal action regarding the condition of her apartment, telling the court it was ‘a nightmare’ and ‘completely wrecked’.

Tabitha’s representative did not respond for comment.

So can you ‘fake it until you make it’?

Netflix’s Selling Sunset offers a peek into the luxurious lifestyles of the wealthy, following real estate agents as they sell stunning, high-end homes in Los Angeles to very rich clients.

Despite appearing rich on the show, Christine Quinn has admitted it was mostly a facade. She wasn’t nearly as wealthy when she first became famous as she led people to believe.

In the first season of the popular show about luxurious homes, she looked stunning in expensive designer clothes.

But in reality, she was purchasing an outfit, wearing it once and then returning it.

Christine admitted to The Sun that she used to buy clothes she couldn’t really afford, enjoy wearing them once, and then return them thanks to generous store return policies. She wanted to avoid being seen in the same outfit more than once.

During the first season of Selling Sunset, I was constantly spending and returning items, even racking up credit card debt. I really believe in putting on a confident front, even when you’re still working towards success.

I’m honest about getting Botox and breast implants because I want to be real with other women and avoid creating unrealistic expectations.

Christine has become very wealthy and now lives in a £3.6 million home. She credits her success to a simple philosophy: act confident even when you don’t feel it, and eventually you will achieve your goals.

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2026-04-15 03:29