There has long been speculation about how much money Brooke Magnanti made as the call girl Belle de Jour, but she says that £300 an hour suffered by comparison with what she made after putting pen to paper to reveal all about her experiences.
What began as a blog entitled Diary of a London Call Girl swiftly became six books and a wildly successful TV series starring Billie Piper — all while Magnanti herself remained anonymous, protected by careful financial arrangements made by her agent and accountant.
She finally came out as the real Belle de Jour in a Sunday Times interview in 2009, but in her years of anonymity she had been too cautious to spend her earnings — allowing her to buy every house she has owned since then in cash.
After just under a decade working as an academic and scientist — studying everything from forensics to the link between Chernobyl radiation and thyroid cancer — Magnanti is now a full-time writer focusing on thrillers. Her latest book is You Don’t Know Me.
As a fanatical saver, she says she relies on her husband to encourage her to relax about money and enjoy taking holidays, mostly to kayak or scuba dive. It is a far cry from her time at university in Florida, where she was homeless for seven months and slept in the campus library and on friends’ sofas.
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That experience and the fear of it happening again, Magnanti says, was part of the reason she began working as a call girl when she came to Britain in 2003 to study for her PhD.
“I only worked [as a call girl] as little as I had to, because at the time I was looking for a job in science,” she recalls. “But it was enough to pay my rent when I needed it so that I didn’t end up out on the streets again.”
Magnanti, 41, now lives in the Scottish Highlands with her husband of seven years, Nick Wilding, 39, a firefighter.
How much money do you have in your wallet?
About £10 and some change. There’s not always a lot to spend your money on up here anyway . . . I’m not going to get waylaid by clothes shops!
Which credit cards do you use?
I’ve never had a credit card — I’ve never even had an overdraft. I’m very hardcore in my beliefs against personal debt; every time I have bought a house, it has been in cash. I sleep well at night knowing that I don’t owe anybody.
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Are you a saver or a spender?
I’m a saver, almost obsessively so. Because I made so much of my money when I was anonymous, I didn’t really splash out because I didn’t want people to suspect I had another income stream. When I met my husband, I talked about all these holidays I wanted to go on and he said: “You have the money; we can do this.” It’s great.
How much did you earn last year?
My agent and accountant set up a company for me when I was anonymous; we couldn’t have cheques coming through from the publisher with my name on them. Preserving my anonymity basically worked because my agent held shares in trust for me so that my name didn’t appear on paperwork at Companies House. Even though I’m not anonymous any more, all of my earnings still go to that company and I just draw a salary from it — last year I think it was £28,000. As a writer, you cannot guarantee what your income will be.
Have you ever been really hard up?
I was homeless for seven months of my third year when I was doing my degree at Florida State University. I was there on a scholarship that paid for my tuition but not a lot else. I also had a health problem with my skin — severe cystic acne — and my treatment cost $30 a day. I had just come off my parents’ health insurance, so I had to choose between being able to pay for my medicine and being able to pay the rent. Being a student really helped because I slept in libraries or on friends’ sofas, or I would volunteer at the TV or radio station and sleep there — and I could always take a shower at the sports centre.
When I was living in London in 2003 and ran out of money, that was part of the spur to go into sex work. Being from overseas, I couldn’t go on the dole. Also, being non-EU, there are a lot of jobs you can’t apply for. I had a boyfriend for part of the time who was very good at breaking into buildings to get something to eat. And then you’re sitting in a 9am lecture trying to pretend you’re just like everybody else.
I was desperately afraid of being in that situation again when there wasn’t the safety net of living on a campus. I slept rough a couple of times and it’s such a frightening experience that I would have done anything never to do it again.
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I wasn’t honest with my parents about how bad it got — part of me, perversely, was thinking: “This isn’t something they need to worry about.” I didn’t tell them until years later. I was glad, at least, I got through it without having to drop out.
Do you own a property?
We own our two-bedroom house in the countryside near Inverness — we bought it for £250,000 in cash in 2011. It’s fairly small and basic but what’s important is the outdoor space — we’re near the coast and we have a little field out the front where we used to let the local crofters’ sheep roam, which I loved because you didn’t have to mow the lawn.
What was your first job?
When I was 14, I worked in a care home serving meals to the residents. I once performed the Heimlich manoeuvre [for stopping choking] on someone. It was very minimum wage, and on the way out they tried to charge me for a uniform I had never received. People know they can take advantage of young people in jobs like that.
What’s been your most lucrative work?
Writing. When the first book —The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl — was adapted for TV, I made more money than I have from everything else combined. A part of me wishes I had blown a wad of cash on something at the time, just to celebrate. I had the most successful year of my life professionally and, because I felt I needed to hide it, I never really celebrated.
Do you invest in shares?
I don’t, although a few years ago I spent some money on local initiatives. A friend of mine was fundraising to build a bar in Inverness, and I have invested in community hydropower projects too. There is a tax benefit but also it feels good to put some money into infrastructure for the Highlands and the people here, even if you’re never going to make an enormous return, if any.
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What’s better for retirement – property or pension?
I’m kind of expecting we’ll be living in a post-zombie apocalypse by the time I retire, so I’m hedging my bets. It’s a scary world and I’m not sure I’d count on any one thing at all still being there.
When did you first feel wealthy?
Having been as poor as I was, any time I go into a supermarket and can just buy whatever I want, I feel wealthy.
“I slept rough a couple of times. It’s such a frightening experience that I would have done anything never to do it againBrooke Magnanti, author
What’s been your best investment?
My education. Even though I’m no longer working as a scientist, it’s set up a way of working and thinking that has also benefited me as a writer.
What’s the most extravagant thing you have ever bought?
I used to have a love for Swiss watches, in particular vintage automatic ones. They are beautiful. I did own several but getting them serviced was just ruinous; you might as well have an expensive car that you never drive. So I sold them all.
What aspect of the tax system would you change?
I do not begrudge a penny of my taxes as long as the NHS still exists and it’s free at the point of use for everybody who needs it. I think it’s very fashionable for people who are in the black to complain about how much we pay, but if you compare how much it costs in the US for healthcare, it is absolutely worth it.
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Do you support any charities?
I donate to the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St Petersburg, Florida, which is where my mother worked when I was growing up and I had eye surgery there when I was a child. In the UK, I donate to sex work-related charities like National Ugly Mugs, who are working to keep streetwalkers safe.
What is the most important lesson you have learnt about money?
That it comes and goes and you shouldn’t stress too much about it.