After dropping her kids off at school, Victoria*, 34, sees her first client of the day. The escort charges around £200 an hour – and can make an astonishing £4,000 per week.
Mum-of-four Victoria, from Nottingham, appears in Louis Theroux’s new documentary Selling Sex, which will air on BBC Two this Sunday. The programme explores the changing sex industry. Rather than operating in brothels, now women are selling sex – legally – from their own homes. And, encouraged by social media and specialist websites, women who never previously considered sex work are using it to make a living or to top up their wages.
Victoria says, “I can schedule clients around my children –I get to take my kids to school every morning, and put them to bed every night. I’m earning more money than I ever had before.”
Victoria started working as an escort five years ago. She says, “I used to own a business hiring out bouncy castles, and I supplemented my income by mystery shopping.
“I’d been single for a while, so I joined a couple of elite dating sites, and a few men messaged asking to be my sugar daddy.
“I replied to a few, and some offered to pay me for sex. I was shocked to learn how much money men were willing to pay. In just a few hours, I could make more than I did in a week. It wasn’t long before I’d created a profile advertising my services.”
In 2015, Victoria visited her first client. She says, “I was very nervous. I was just a normal mum and I was on the way to have sex with a stranger for money. But I did it – I wouldn’t exactly say I enjoyed it, but the guy was pleasant enough, and I walked away with £200.
“I think I found the experience so easy as I view sex differently to most people. I’ve had some bad sexual experiences in the past and was once involved with an older man, who I’d do crazy sexual things for. Sex has kind of become meaningless for me. I have the ability to have sex with anybody and it not mean anything.”
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After working as an escort for a few months, Victoria told her family and friends. She says, “I didn’t want people finding pictures of me on the internet. I wanted them to hear it from me.
“My parents were shocked, but I’m not so close to them, so I wasn’t asking for their blessing.
“I had some friends who were jealous of the money I was making, and others stopped speaking to me because they didn’t approve.
“I also told my daughter, who is 15, what I do. She’s very supportive, and will answer back if people at school make mean comments. I don’t want her to go into sex work, but I’d support her if she did. My two eldest sons, who are 12 and 11, found out at school when other kids showed them videos of me online.
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“My 11-year-old was upset I’d lied to him, but my eldest son found it difficult and wouldn’t discuss it. But he knows that when he’s ready, he can talk to me or his sister. One of his teachers at school is also aware. I’ll tell my youngest son, who’s eight, when he’s older.”
Now, Victoria sees around four clients a day. She also does porn, earning around £300 to £400 per shoot. When the children are sleeping and she can find a babysitter, she performs on TV channel Babestation.
Victoria says, “I still pinch myself when I think these men want to pay me to have sex with them. Sex work makes me feel confident, sexy and desired.”