Reality TV’s really rich list

From Love Islanders to bakers, these celebs have raked in a fortune since finding fame on some of the nation’s favourite shows

Gemma Collins, 39

TOWIE | Estimated net worth: £5million

She recently hit headlines for striking a £250,000 deal for the next series of her reality show Diva On Lockdown, with the first series now airing. And over the years, Gemma Collins – who calls herself “the queen of reality TV” with a “growing bank balance” – has built up a fortune of around £5m since finding fame in 2011.

The former car saleswoman made a name for herself on TOWIE, before going on to star in the likes of Splash!, Celebrity Big Brother, Dancing On Ice, Celebs Go Dating, Celebrity MasterChef and I’m A Celeb!. She’s also appeared on Loose Women and Celebrity Juice, and has presented segments on This Morning. Her own popular reality show, Diva Forever, will air its fourth season later this year.

Off screen, Gemma – who also released a book in 2018 and launched a podcast last year - has made money in the fashion industry, with her plus-sized clothes shop and her ranges with Evans, SimplyBe, Boohoo and, currently, In The Style.

And her immense popularity has garnered her 1.6m followers – she can earn up to £4,000 per Instagram post.

On her success, Gemma said, “I’m not one of these average reality people that are permanently doing Instagram posts. I break the mould, I break the internet. I constantly know that showbiz is going to be short-lived – you have to grab every opportunity as well as you can.”

Megan McKenna, 27

Ex on The Beach | Estimated net worth: £3million

As a hopeful teenager, she made it to the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent – but Megan McKenna’s true rise to stardom began with explosive fights and throwing drinks on MTV’s Ex On The Beach. Thanks to appearances on Celebrity

Big Brother, TOWIE and Celebs Go Dating, her fan base has grown and her career has flourished.

She cashed in on her outspoken persona by launching Mouthy Cosmetics and her Studio Mouthy clothing line – thought to be worth £500,000 – and penned best-selling autobiography Mouthy.

Unwilling to give up on her dream of becoming a credible singer, she landed her own reality show, There’s Something About Megan, which followed her to Nashville, the home of country music. Her debut single High Heeled Shoes shot to number one on iTunes – with Megan channelling her early days working as a barmaid in the music video.

Last year, she was crowned winner of The X Factor: Celebrity, and has since signed a lucrative deal with Simon Cowell’s label Syco, joining the likes of Louis Tomlinson and Camilla Cabello.

Luisa Zissman, 32

The Apprentice | Estimated net worth £4million

Once a part-time estate agent, in 2013 Luisa Zissman was runner-up on the ninth series of The Apprentice with her online cupcake business.

The self-declared “outspoken, too-honest motormouth” then starred in Celebrity Big Brother and had a cameo role alongside American Pie star Tara Reid in the fifth instalment of the Sharknado franchise.

Her “motormouth” image has helped her launch a podcast, LuAnna, with Anna Williamson. Their show, famed for rants, banter and explicit content, has over 3.7m listeners and topped the iTunes chart on its first day of release. Luisa also co-hosts a show on Radio 5 Live.

As well as her own success, her multimillionaire husband Andrew Collins, with whom she shares two daughters, is thought to be worth £36m.

Nadiya Hussain, 35

The Great British Bake Off | Estimated net worth: £2.75million

From being a stay-at-home mum to being named one of the 500 most influential people in the UK, the winner of the sixth series of Great British Bake Off, Nadiya Hussain, has become one of the show’s most accomplished contestants.

She has continued to cook up success by presenting on television, including a starring role in her own two-part series, The Chronicles of Nadiya. She writes a regular newspaper column, has released a vibrant homeware collection, and publishes cookbooks, children’s books, and even a novel.

After her win, she baked a cake for the Queen’s 90th birthday celebration, and was made an MBE in the 2020 Honours List.

Despite her riches, Nadiya keeps a tight rein on her spending. She admits she still loves to shop for bargains and challenges herself to keep her weekly food bill low.

Check out: richest Love Island stars

Ant Middleton, 39

SAS: Who Dares Wins | Estimated net worth: £32million

He was a military man with three tours of Afghanistan under his belt, but his Special Forces experience and his survival and endurance skills propelled him into the reality TV limelight in 2015 as the chief instructor on Channel 4’s SAS: Who Dares Wins.

Building on his huge success as the show’s hunky frontman, Ant Middleton starred as the boat captain in Mutiny, a TV series that recreated a legendary survival story. Then came military style spin-off shows including Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, Extreme Everest With Ant Middleton and Ant Middleton And Liam Payne: Straight Talking.

Other endeavours that have increased Ant’s net worth include his two best-selling books, First Man In: Leading From The Front and The Fear Bubble – with another in the works – that have brought in £6 million to date. The TV tough guy – who apologised at the start of the COVID-19 crisis after telling followers to “Get out there, don’t change” – also runs Mind Over Muscle day camps.

On top of that, his very healthy earnings are boosted with sponsored Instagram posts for protein bars and grooming products.

Olivia Buckland, 26

Love Island | Estimated net worth: £4.4million

One half of one of the few Love Island success stories, Olivia Buckland found fame on the show in 2016. The former sales executive’s goal was to come away with a boyfriend rather than a huge social media following – but she managed to achieve both, as she currently boasts millions of followers. Her marriage to fellow contestant Alex Bowen, and her numerous Instagram collaborations – with an audience of 2.3 million and a fee of around £2k per post – have helped Olivia make some serious money.

Cameras followed the build-up to her becoming the first Love Island lass to say “I do” in TLC’s Olivia And Alex Said Yes, earning her a cool £50,000. The couple have since starred in Olivia And Alex: Happily Ever After, which added £150k to their fortune.

As well as putting her name to make-up, tan and beauty box brands, she co-owns clothing line Exempt Society, which is expected to earn £950,000 in the next two years.

Olivia and her husband recently bought a £1 million mansion in Essex. The home is under renovation and, with its own dedicated Instagram account, the lavish pad boasts a social-media following of its own that rivals other Love Island contestants, with 343k followers.

Lateysha Grace, 27

The Valleys | Estimated net worth: £1million

Whether she’s twerking and splitting her dress on live TV, promoting sex toys on Instagram, or posing nude for men’s mag spreads, Lateysha Grace is racking up big bucks.

The TV personality and model found fame at 19 on MTV’s controversial Welsh reality series, The Valleys. After filming ended just two series in, Lateysha continued to make her name on other reality shows, with appearances on Celebrity Big Brother, Ex On The Beach and even her own reality show, Million Dollar Baby, which followed her quest to make £1 million for her young daughter.

She has also become an Instagram influencer, happily flaunting the results of three bum enlargements, liposuction, face contouring, and breast implants to her 991,000 Instagram followers. Her often daily posts promoting fashion lines also help to boost her earnings.

Having recently tweeted her followers asking for advice on buying into the stock market, Lateysha revealed she is hoping to expand her fortune even further.

Chloe Ferry, 24

Geordie Shore | Estimated net worth: £1million

She’s been one of the more controversial Geordie Shore stars over the past few years, thanks to her outrageous partying and extensive cosmetic surgery – but Chloe Ferry has become the latest of the group to rake in £1m.

After she joined the show in 2015, she ditched her club hostess job and has since been paid vast amounts to appear in other reality TV shows such as Ex On The Beach, BBC Three’s Sun, Sex And Suspicious Parents and Celebrity Big Brother in 2017.

Following in the footsteps of her idol Kylie Jenner, she launched Chloe Ferry Cosmetics in 2018 and last year opened her own beauty salon in Newcastle, CM House Of Aesthetics.

Chloe also makes a huge income from sponsored Instagram posts. With 3.4 million followers, she can charge up to £3,000 per post.

Earlier this year, she celebrated her new millionaire status by buying her first home – a three-bed luxury apartment in Newcastle.

Recalling life before TV fame, she said, “Before Geordie Shore, we didn’t have much money. My mum is a single parent... When I went to college, I didn’t even have lunch money sometimes, because it was so hard to get it.”

Fred Sirieix, 48

First Dates | Estimated net worth: £3million

Charismatic maître d’ Fred Sirieix charmed his way into the hearts of UK viewers as matchmaker on Channel 4’s First Dates, greeting nervous first-time daters and offering kind words of wisdom.

The trained chef, who spent years as manager of Mayfair restaurant Galvin at Windows, has increased his net worth with other TV roles. Fred starred in the spin-off series First Dates Abroad and First Dates Hotel, and has gone on to other cookery hit shows Million Pound Menu and Gordon, Gino and Fred’s Road Trip, alongside Gordon Ramsay and Gino D’Acampo. He even temporarily switched from matchmaker to music maker when he lent his voice to club track La Vie Continue, and for those who love his accent, there’s his podcast, Oh Là Là.

Fred – who got engaged to his girlfriend of two years last month – has even wrote a top-selling book, First Dates: The Art Of Love.

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Tommy Mallet, 27

TOWIE | Estimated net worth: £5.2million

Determination and hard work helped Tommy Mallet overcome his dyslexia struggles and launch his MALLET footwear company, now available in over 140 stores across Europe.

Tommy has been a TOWIE regular since 2014 – which reportedly paid just £50 per day of filming – and invested his money from the show into his footwear company. He has also created a line of glasses and sunglasses with Belvoir&Co, and is co-owner of London nightclub Circuit.

The success is a huge achievement for a boy from a council estate in North London, who left school with no GCSEs and worked as a carpenter for three years.

Now the owner of a company expected to bring in upwards of £6 million a year, Tommy avoids paid-for advertising on Instagram. He uses the platform to promote his designs and give his 897k followers a glimpse into his glamorous jet-setting life.