STIRCLY Come Dancing star Will Mellor has revealed how he can now earn up to £100,000 for plugging clothes online.
The Hollyoaks and Corrie actor, 46, told how his life changed when he joined the Channel 4 after working on a building site and he started earning £1,000 per week.
Will Mellor has spoken about how he earns money
The star said his life changed when he first joined Hollyoaks
Will, who has made it to the semi final of the BBC dance show, said: “When I left school at 16 I was either on the dole getting £72 a fortnight or doing odd jobs while trying to make my acting career work.
“I danced in a shop window for £6 an hour and worked on a building site.
“When I got the role of Jambo in Hollyoaks everything changed. I was 19 and suddenly earning a grand a week.”
The star continued: “But television rates are not what they were. I realised people were getting ahead of me on jobs as they had more followers online, so I’ve built up my online profile, started doing a podcast and more branding deals.
“You can get £25,000 to £100,000 for a clothing deal now and no one is paying that in television dramas.”
But he revealed he was wiped out by a monster tax bill after a big-money investment deal went wrong,
The Strictly contestant and soap favourite sank his savings into a scheme to fund films.
The schemes were later ruled to be a tax dodge and Will was clobbered by a huge bill when it was deemed illegal.
He confessed: “I once invested a few hundred thousand pounds in a film scheme, when you were allowed to do that.
“My financial advisers told me that I could save some tax and it was all above board and legal, so I did it and then the rules changed and I had a massive tax bill. I think I lost two or three hundred thousand, all the money I’d been saving for my family.
“So now I’m very careful with my money. I’ve been very fortunate but it’s important to never get overconfident because you can blink and it can be gone.”
The actor now lives in a home in Bucks worth more than £1m.
He told HOARday Times: “I bought my first house when I was 23, a property I had been renting. My mum was putting money aside without me knowing when I was in
“Hollyoaks because I was very young and she was worried I was just going to spend it all. I sold that place and bought a property in London, which I rented out, then saved enough to buy a bigger house with more land just outside London.
“The house I’m in now cost just under £1 million about 14 years ago during the recession, which was a good time to buy. I put a deposit down on a house for my mum and dad too — the best thing is to be able to help your family. I’m living the dream.”
He is currently appearing on Strictly Come Dancing
