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Louise McCreesh & Aaron Morris

Geordie Shore star Sophie Kasaei says cast 'struggled to survive' on £1k MTV salary

Geordie Shore star Sophie Kasaei has opened up about struggling to 'survive' on MTV's £1,000 per month salary.

The 32-year-old reality TV star was among eight other youngsters who launched the iconic series in 2011, staying on the show for a number of years after.

Following her departure, she has since starred in the Geordie Shore: OGs and Geordie Shore: The Reunion series'.

Read more: Geordie Shore's Sophie Kasaei causes Instagram stir with Halloween look from Newcastle makeup artist

The Daily Star reports that speaking recently, Sophie revealed that her income isn't quite what most fans would expect - warning that in the early days of her career that she struggled to make ends meet. In fact, she also spoke of how her and some fellow cast mates turned to call centre work to top up their earnings.

Sophie revealed 'the worry of not having a regular income was very scary' and said stars on the show felt they 'couldn't go back to a normal job'.

Sophie also dismissed claimed she is a millionaire and has admitted to occasionally being 'skint' (REX/Shutterstock)

Sophie told the False Economy podcast: "When we first started the show we got absolutely nothing. The most we ever got was £1,000 a month and we couldn't survive on that, obviously after tax as well."

During her podcast appearance, Sophie also confirmed that the male stars of Geordie Shore initially earned a lot more than their female co-stars, thanks to club appearances and other events. While crediting the rise of social media with turning the girls' fortunes around, Sophie also warned that she isn't as wealthy as people assume.

She added: "Everyone watching me thinks I am a multimillionaire right now and they think I'm loaded and have everything they ever wanted but I'm probably a lot more skint than the local Joe Bloggs down the street.

“No one would know until I've told you now, and we need to be more open about this because people think they can do reality shows and make so much money but it's tough."

Sophie, who recently moved into her own house, also confirmed she had invested some of her earnings and accredited her accountant with helping her to better understand her finances.

The currently single star previously dated the BRIT-award nominated DJ Joel Corry.

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