What can celebrities teach you about money? A fair amount, actually, says LEE BOYCE
What can celebrities teach you about money? At first thought, you'd be forgiven for thinking… well nothing.
They don't live in the 'real world' and surely have pots of cash working hard for them all over the place.
But the reality is quite different – and is unmasked in our brilliant weekly Me and My Money series, which lands in print and online every Sunday.
Since last summer, I have interviewed prominent people for it and green-lit names for our pool of talented freelancers to chat to, which I then edit.
It means in a short space of time, I have learnt plenty about how famous people manage their money and have gleaned dozens of fantastic anecdotes about their personal finances. Most firmly live in the real world.
Almost, without fail, there will be a line in the interview that will make me smile or go… 'oh, I didn't know that about them'.
For many of the celebs taking part, making it to fame (and quite often not vast fortunes) has taken plenty of graft. In short, most of them deserve to be where they are.
Lifestyles... of the rich and the famous: Our weekly column sees us find out about the finances of celebrities and prominent people
Learning that Johnson from Peep Show (in my eyes, one of the finest sitcoms in history), aka actor Paterson Joseph, went from starring on Broadway to working on a building site for £70-a-day, when things weren't working made me go, 'good on him'.
A similar story was told to me by Gavin and Stacey star Joanna Page, who worked in a shoe shop when acting work dried up.
And just this week, another actress – Natalie Cassidy – told me that there's a common misconception that she's rolling in cash, but it's simply not true.
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Personally, I think it's brave for celebrities to stick their head above the parapet and reveal whether they own property, or pay into a pension, and delve into their family history, to unlock what their parents taught them about money, all for your entertainment.
Then there's the almost impossible question: what would you do if you were Chancellor for the day?
But it's also a bit of fun. Interviewing Ross Kemp on his money – and him joking that he only received £500 for his brilliant cameo in Extras with Ricky Gervais, and in jest suggesting that's why the comedian has a big house on the river, was a great line.
I also enjoyed Ian Anderson recently telling us that he survived on tins of Irish stew mixed with dog biscuits before hitting the big time.
What would he do if he was Chancellor for the day? 'Have a stiff drink, enjoy a soak in a warm bath and think of the England that used to be – and how we could return to those glory days!'
Poetic and when I read it, I sang it in my head like the lyric of a folk song.
Plenty have told us about unexpected tax bills, including Natalie, but also comedian Rufus Hound. It shows how having a good accountant is vital if your showbiz star suddenly shines bright.
One of my favourites interviews recently was with footballer Lucy Bronze. She has won five Champions League medals in her career (I had no idea just how successful she's been), alongside the Euros twice with England.
When I interviewed her – like many interviewees – I felt a strong sense of Lucy wanting to help her family.
She also revealed that joining Barcelona sounds like a dream, but she was soon bogged down in chat about taxes, bringing her back down with a bump.
The glamour mixed with the personal finance admin we all dread, whether we're joining one of the biggest football teams in the world, or preparing for Making Tax Digital, makes it relatable.
My aim with this series is to get as big names as possible to take part but also for readers to learn something about celebrities and famous people they might never have known.
Bear Grylls has an apocalypse yacht, for instance, Ingrid Tarrant has a 70-strong watch collection – but hates Rolex.
But under those bold claims are always the real personal finance gems. Where else are you going to find out whether Johnny Rotten has a pension or not?
Or how Jona Lewie lost £30,000 the Neil Woodford debacle?
Who would you pick to interview?
A classic topic of conversation is… if you could have four people for dinner party, who would you have?
But for me, it's which four would you most like to pick their brains about personal finances, wealth and attitude to money?
I asked my wife recently, and nearly without pause she answered: Ronan Keating, Carol Vorderman, Cat Deeley and Dolly Parton.
I also asked deputy editor Helen Crane – she went with: Elton John, Harry Redknapp, Alan Carr and Liam Gallagher.
Publisher Simon Lambert says: Mick Jagger, Warren Buffett, Tony Hawk and Noel Gallagher – armed with Liam's previous answers.
Let me know yours below and I'll endeavour to get them lined up for Me and My Money – it'll be hard to convince the Gallagher brothers though.
This column was this week's This is Money newsletter message, which goes out every Thursday at 6am. Sign-up using the box below:
