Made In Chelsea stars who’ve struggled to afford their glamorous lives – from being left ‘homeless’ to going through numerous money owed

Champagne on tap, designer wardrobes and glamorous getaways, Made in Chelsea has long sold itself as a window into the lavish lives of West London’s elite.

The hit reality show, which landed on the box in 2011, follows a tight-knit circle of well-heeled socialites, where drama, romance and wealth go hand in hand.

From inherited fortunes to glossy business ventures, the cast project an image of boundless cash and privilege.

But scratch beneath the polished surface and a different story begins to emerge.

Away from the parties and private members’ clubs, several stars have struggled with debt and the pressure to sustain their picture-perfect lifestyles.

Here, the Daily Mail looks at the stars who have faced money struggles.

Ashley James

Earlier this year, Ashley James revealed she was ‘the poorest she has ever been’ while filming Made in Chelsea and was living ‘deep in her overdraft’.

The TV personality, 38, joined the posh cast of the E4 reality series as an extra before being promoted to the main cast.

However, she revealed she was paid just £50 per filming session and had to be on call so she couldn’t take on other work.

Ashley explained that the situation left her so broke she couldn’t afford to pay rent, despite seemingly living a lavish lifestyle on screen. 

She told The Times newspaper: ‘One of the things that motivated me to say ‘yes’ to Made in Chelsea initially was the idea that it would make me very rich’. And yet I was the poorest I’ve ever been when I was on that show.

‘The irony wasn’t lost on me that I was on a show about really rich people while living in my friend’s childhood home, deep in my overdraft.’

However, Ashley insisted she has ‘no regrets’ over her decision to join the show.

Ashley went on to carve out a successful TV career after leaving Made In Chelsea with jobs including a regular slot on ITV’s This Morning. 

Ollie Locke

Earlier this month, Ollie Locke revealed he felt ‘humiliated’ and said his reputation is in tatters over an unpaid rent bill, shared with his husband, Gareth.

The Made In Chelsea star, 39, told the Daily Mail he suffered a ‘breakdown’ and was in the lowest place he’s ever been.

He also revealed he spent around £500,000 on IVF and surrogacy in his journey to fatherhood.

He sold his former home to fund treatment with husband Gareth before the couple welcomed twins Apollo and Cosima via surrogacy in July 2023.

Following the sale of his property and substantial fertility-related costs, Ollie and Gareth moved into a £4million four-bedroom Chelsea home, where they later accrued £25,000 in unpaid rent before being forced to vacate the property in February.

Ollie told the Daily Mail: ‘When it came to IVF, we got advice from people, they said, I think you should probably look at £150,000. I said, okay, if I remortgage my house, I might get enough money to do that.

‘We sold the house and someone gave us an offer that was alright, so we took that. But at that point, we had to. The bills were through the roof, and we lost six growing babies through miscarriage and then we got two in the end, but it cost us £500,000.

‘We wanted these children so desperately, but we didn’t expect to go through four years because of Covid and all the laws.’

The couple spoke to the Daily Mail about their financial struggles, revealing at the time of the interview that they currently owe £45,000 in unpaid rent, late fees and legal costs after missing three months’ rent.

They are being held liable for the costs owed, alongside a third tenant who lived at the property and is named on the tenancy agreement. She paid her rent directly to Ollie and Gareth, but the money was not passed on to the landlord.

Ollie added that he and Gareth are ‘100 per cent’ committed to repaying the money owed so they can move forward with their lives.

‘I feel horrendous. Not only with different friends who are showing their true colours and have broken my heart, but physically, I have been the most depressed I have been in my entire life. This has pushed me to have a breakdown which has been incredibly hard,’ he explained.

Ollie and Gareth married in 2020 at London’s Natural History Museum, in scenes filmed for E4’s Made In Chelsea.

They said the next chapter in their lives is focused on raising their twins and physically moving away from the lifestyle of the rich and famous in West London.

Ollie confessed he had been trying to keep up the facade of a luxury lifestyle filled with champagne and trips to country manors after starring on the reality show for so long.

Gareth insisted: ‘We wanted to move on from our previous home because we wanted a fresh start. We have some very negative memories from the house and terrible experiences.

‘We feel we have found somewhere new to live where we love it, which is around more people who are older with families, which is incredible. 

‘We are opening our eyes to a change of lifestyle because living in Chelsea – everyone is going out all the time; it’s not the biggest family place.’

Lonan O’Herlihy

Lonan O’Herlihy, who appeared in series 8, was embroiled in a legal battle that left him effectively ‘homeless’. 

Known as ‘Posh PT’, he sued the widow of millionaire property tycoon Hugh Taylor after receiving nothing from his vast estate.

However, a judge had thrown out the case against Jennifer Taylor, ruling the 36-year-old reality TV star had ‘no real prospect of success’ and was more than four years too late in bringing legal proceedings.

Lonan, who appeared on series eight of Made In Chelsea alongside original cast members Spencer Matthews and Binky Felstead, asked the court for £5million from the estate under inheritance laws.

He claimed Hugh – who had been in a relationship with Lonan’s mother Pamela from 1995 to 2004 – had acted as a ‘father figure’, funding his private school fees at Malvern College, Oxford, his university education at Oxford Brookes University, and his luxury lifestyle.

He said Hugh bought him a £5,000 watch to mark his 18th birthday in 2007, paid for him and ten friends to stay in a house in Florida for a fortnight, and bought him an Audi worth around £45,000 for his 21st birthday.

‘Soon after that’, he said, Hugh financed his stepson’s trips to Australia, New York and St Lucia to help with his future in property.

But when the multi-millionaire died in June 2019, his entire £38.5million fortune – including high-end properties, classic cars and even a World War II Hawker Hurricane aircraft – was left largely to his widow Jennifer in his 2015 will.

In the latest, the 36-year-old faces having to pay an eye-watering £2million in fees after a judge threw out his case.

The judge ordered Lonan to pick up the legal bill for the trial, which the court heard total more than £2million – a figure branded ‘astronomical’ by the star’s legal team.

That includes £1.5m claimed by the widow’s lawyers, £163,000 by the administrator of the estate Keith Upsdell, who was joined as a party to the action, and £355,000 owed to Lonan’s own lawyers.

Speaking afterwards, Lonan insisted that the case had never been about greed. 

‘My earliest memories of a father figure in my life are of Hugh,’ he said outside court.

‘He raised me as his son and gave me some of the most precious moments imaginable. I feel fortunate to have had him in my life.

‘Bringing this case was never about seeking an unjust financial benefit. What I hoped for was simply to retain a small part of what Hugh had always indicated would be set aside for me.

‘The circumstances in Hugh’s final years were complicated and that I was not able to remain in contact with him despite many attempts to do so.

‘He was my father from five years old until a sudden and unexplained pause on the relationship at 22. I hope to one day find out where he is buried so I can pay my respects.

‘Despite the outcome, I remain deeply proud of the role Hugh played in my life. In time, I hope to acquire and preserve some of the items sold by the estate that once belonged to him, so that part of his legacy can remain connected to those who knew and cared for him.

‘This process has taken a heavy toll over several years, but I respect the decision of the court and I bear no ill will towards Mrs Taylor. I now intend to focus on moving forward with my life and work.’

Miles Nazaire

Miles Nazaire shot to fame in 2018 during series 15 of Made In Chelsea.

He stayed for seven years before confirming his departure in September 2025, ahead of his 30th. 

The reality star became well known for his party-boy charm and messy love life, but it turns out his real drama has been playing out off-screen.

Despite flaunting his wealth online, the star is saddled with nearly £100,000 of debt, or at least the company he founded is.

As of last July, he has yet to pay back the £82,100 he owed the British government in tax after the firm went bust.

The wellbeing influencer’s ‘performing arts’ business, LGI Productions Ltd, still owes His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs around £47,000 in unpaid VAT and just over £38,000 in overdue corporation tax.

According to its Companies House page, the reality star’s firm also owes accountancy firm Sobell Rhodes around £11,000, bringing his total debts to just under £100,000. 

The Daily Mail contacted the influencer’s representatives for comment, and they have yet to respond.

You can read the full article here.  

Tabitha Willett

Tabitha Willett has been flooding her Instagram feed with pictures of her whopping engagement ring, courtesy of her multi-millionaire fiancé Harry Hoare.

So it may come as a surprise that the influencer allegedly still owes her former landlord, Charlotte Hill, a hefty £11,107.

In October 2024, Daily Mail’s Harriet Kean revealed that Tabitha had been found guilty in court of trashing the £1.8 million apartment in Kensington she had rented for eight months in 2022.

She left make-up stains and drawings on the walls, drilled holes for pictures and a television, left a £9,000 carpet stained with dog pee, and damaged a hob.

She was ordered to pay £4,749, in instalments of £600 a month, to Monaco-based Ms Hills. But she paid only six instalments, stopping last September.

At the time, it was said that she had also not paid a large chunk of the £3,500-a-month rent she owed on the luxury two-bedroom apartment, bringing the total outstanding balance to £11,107.

When Charlotte sued over the state of the flat in 2024, she told the court: ‘It is a nightmare… The flat was completely wrecked.’

Tabitha’s representative did not respond for comment.

So can you ‘fake it until you make it’?

Across the pond, Netflix’s Selling Sunset is designed to give a glimpse into how the other half live, with real estate agents decked out in designer gear selling lavish homes in Los Angeles to multi-millionaires. 

Yet one of the show’s star Christine Quinn has revealed that it was all an illusion and when she first shot to fame she was nowhere near as wealthy as she appeared. 

During the first series of the smash hit property-porn series, she looked a million dollars in designer clobber.

But in reality, she was purchasing an outfit, wearing it once and then returning it.

Christine told The Sun: ‘I used to always buy clothes I can’t afford — I’d wear them, feel amazing and then send them back — stores have a great return policy. I would never be seen in the same outfit twice.

‘For season one of Selling Sunset I was buying and returning — maxing out credit cards along the way. I’m all about faking it until you make it. 

‘I’m open about having Botox and fake boobs too, I don’t want to give other women the wrong impression.’

Christine went on to build up her fortune and now lives in a £3.6 million mansion, insisting the key to achieving her glamorous life was living by the motto ‘fake it till you make it’.