Ashley James says she was battling money problems while on Made In Chelsea and 'living deep in my overdraft'

Ashley James has 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, but Ashley has 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 insists 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.

However, she recently admitted she has turned down 'big' projects because of crippling mum guilt.

Ashely admitted separation anxiety was impacting her son Alfie, four, but the move has allowed her to spend time with him and her daughter Ada, two, whom she has with her partner Tommy Andrews.

She told Closer magazine: 'I don't work the regular 9-to-5 and I can't be there for every bedtime or nursery drop off, so Tommy and I juggle.

'However, the last few weeks, I was so busy and missed quite a few bedtimes. It was having a real impact on Alfie with separation anxiety, and that's so hard to navigate.

'I had to say no to a few big things so I could spend that quality time with him and my daughter.'

Ashley said she is a 'better mum' when she has 'breaks' and gets to work on projects she is 'passionate about'.

She continued: 'Being a working mum is challenging because of the burden of mum guilt.

'We don't ever use that term for dads, though. Dads are just expected to work and that's that. We still expect mums to work full-time and be the homemaker they were decades ago. It's setting ourselves up for failure.

'The reality is I could never be a stay-at-home mum, though. There are some mums that flourish when they spend so much time with their children, but I'm a better mum when I have breaks and get to work on things I'm passionate about.'

Ashley has previously claimed she was 'bullied' by the cast of the E4 reality show.

Speaking on the hit podcast Walking The Dog in 2024, the Geordie-born TV personality explained that she originally signed up for Made In Chelsea to try and break into the broadcasting industry.

During the podcast, she claimed she is 'really grateful' for the platform, however, admitted appearing on the show 'wasn't a very pleasant experience' for her.

She told host Emily Rebecca Dean: 'I just so wanted to be liked, and I was so paranoid about not being liked, that I'm actually going to say it was the first sort of experience I had being a bit bullied or made to feel like I wasn't wanted.'

'It just wasn't very nice, and it really confused me being part of something that wasn't real.

'I just didn't have my mental health, it was not good. The whole thing to me I took to heart and found really challenging.' 

'I just didn't have my mental health, it was not good. The whole thing to me I took to heart and found really challenging.' 

The mother-of-two also added that she had to contend with the 'stereotypes' of being on reality TV, despite only appearing in 11 episodes. 

She revealed: 'It wasn't a very pleasant experience in my life. 

'I was like I'm typecast but I'm still broke, this is s**t, I'm essentially an extra.

'It was unenjoyable, but I then had to still try and fight the assumption that "well, she's just a reality star". 

She also touched on how 'pleased' she was once she stepped away from the show for good. 

She added: 'I'm pleased I kind of stepped away from it when I did. I remember when I first went to film no one talked to me apart from Ollie Locke, and he was so lovely.

'It was playing into that huge insecurity I had of being in these posh aristocratic environments and being the working class girl.

'I'm sure people would conduct themselves differently now with the benefits of hindsight.

'It was just not a very good time in my life, and it was a very sharp awakening into the celebrity world.'