Bradley Walsh hasn’t always been as wealthy as he is today (Image: Getty)
has an estimated net worth of more than £18 million – but it hasn’t always been plain sailing.
In fact, he struggled to make ends meet and pay the bills even after a career as a professional footballer. After talent scouts at Brentford FC spotted his skills when he was just 18, it looked as if he was well on the way to a hugely promising footie career.
However, injury destroyed his chances of becoming a star akin to – and by the time he hit his early 20s, he was broke. “After the football career ended, and I was thinking about what to do next, I took a job as a bluecoat at Pontins in Morecambe for three months,” he explained in an interview with the Telegraph.
“I was paid £47 a week, £37 after a sum for board and lodgings was deducted.” His work at the holiday park was much more poorly paid than previous factory jobs, which had seen him earn up to £120 per week.
However, it gave Bradley – now well-known as the host of – the “bug to perform”. That said, his passion for showbiz would cause conflict, as he needed to take care of his daughter.
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Bradley Walsh at the NTAs in 2024 (Image: Getty)
“I became a father in my early twenties, and very much felt the responsibility to provide for my daughter,” he explained.
“In the early days it was a struggle to juggle my day job with showbusiness ambitions and there were times when we were left with £5 at the end of the week for food.”
However, just four years after daughter Hayley’s birth, his career turned a corner, and he was no longer left frantic about how to cover the bills.
He turned to showbiz in 1986 – and the now 64-year-old hasn’t been out of work since.
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Bradley Walsh with his son Barney at the BAFTAs (Image: Getty)
It followed a painful era where he’d contacted 25 agents and only had a response from one of them.
However, the gig they offered him paid £45 for a 40-minute slot – a “fortune” compared to his work at Pontins at the time, where he’d had to work an entire week to earn similar wages.
That was the beginning of a glittering showbiz career – but his early experiences have shaped his attitude to money, and he’s too “frightened” to have a credit card.
His motto? “If you only have £10, don’t spend £11” – and he sticks to it “religiously”.