Big Brother winner Kate Lawler has opened up about her complicated relationship with money, confessing that even after splashing out on holidays that cost her family around £1,000 a day, she still lies awake worrying about her finances.
The 45-year-old TV personality, who rose to fame after winning the third series of Big Brother in 2002 and walking away with £70,000, admitted that success wasn’t as glamorous as it seemed. After a whirlwind of job offers, she was blindsided by an £80,000 tax bill that, in her own words, “completely set me back.” It took her more than two years to pay it off, leaving her fearful of slipping into debt again.
Kate told The Times: “I didn’t have any disposable income, and everything I earned was going on tax and credit card bills. My money was all tied up in my flat. Now I’m worried that’s going to happen again. I always worry.”
While she says her finances are steadier today thanks to her husband Martin Bojtos’ careful saving habits, the anxiety never truly left her. “I worry about making ends meet now, even though I feel like I’m more financially stable than ever before,” she confessed.
Despite the caution, Kate admits she still indulges in luxuries — especially when it comes to her family holidays. “We tallied it up last night and, including transport, accommodation and spending, our trips usually work out at a whopping £1,000 a day. But it’s something we’ll always remember,” she explained.
After her Big Brother win, Kate went on to become a Capital FM DJ before fronting Channel 4’s short-lived breakfast show RI:SE. She now regularly appears on This Morning and Loose Women, and in 2022 her book Maybe Baby: On the Mother Side became a Sunday Times bestseller.
Even with her achievements, Kate admits she has no pension of her own and relies on property and her husband’s pension to secure their future.
And while she might worry endlessly about money, she hasn’t lost her sense of humour — as viewers saw when she took a tumble off a hammock live on ITV earlier this year, laughing off the mishap with an espresso martini in hand.
