A woman on universal credit who survived on "packets of Pasta 'n' Sauce" during the pandemic now rakes in £10,000 a month from her Only Fans account. Determined to 'help others' she used her first paycheque to buy food for her local community.
Amber O'Donnell was forced to get by on just £500 a month before setting up an Only Fans account in 2020. During her first few weeks on the site, she raked in £500, which she says she spent on food parcels for low-income families and distributed to local foodbanks in Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire
Taking her inspiration from footballer and campaigner, Marcus Rashford, who she says is "incredible", the 24 year-old, alongside partner, Chris, 24, who works in construction, donated non-perishables such as pasta and tinned foods, as well as toiletries and feminine hygiene products after a huge Tesco shopping trip.
The model still makes regular anonymous donations to various local charities and has also been able to rent her £1,000 per month dream home and buy her £10,000 dream car - a pink Nissan Figaro.
Telling her story, Amber, from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, said: "I wasn't eligible for furlough payments when the pandemic hit, so I was only getting £500 per month to live on. My partner had a part-time job at the checkouts at Morrisons too, but it was just a constant struggle every month."
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The Only Fans creator, continued: "For me, it's important to remember where you come from. As I come from a low-income family, it's important for me to be in a position to give to people.
"I now earn over five figures every month - around £10k on average. 'My subscribers love my cosplay looks - especially Velma from Scooby Doo but I've also done Toy Story and The Incredibles too. I get comments saying I'm selfish because of what I do, but it's just not true. I love helping others, it's so rewarding."
In March 2020, Amber was due to begin studying biomedical sciences at the University of Sheffield, West Yorkshire, while working part-time in Starbucks. After being told she wasn't eligible for furlough, Amber was left with a £500-a-month universal credit payment to live on.
She said: ''I would say 95 per cent of our income went on bills. That meant we had no money for eating out, or any extras. I remember living on those Pasta 'n' Sauce sachets and having them twice a day.
"We were in a lucky position with family members throwing us an extra £20 here and there if we needed, but it was still difficult. I knew someone who had started on Only Fans making a load of money a month. My family and friends were really supportive."
With family support Amber initially launched her account in July 2020, before really investing more time in it from September 2020.
She said: "Chris said I should if it could help us, and my mum is my biggest supporter.'' Adding: "When you go on the app, you have to start promoting yourself elsewhere if you want to make money. I made a Twitter account and began building my followers.
"I was in a few 'retweet groups' which is where around 70 girls will retweet each other's content to build their following. In a few months I had 50k followers on Twitter.
"In mid-2021 I downloaded TikTok and did a voiceover to a famous sound and went viral. I now have around 250k followers on there.
"All my pictures I take myself, it's all done by me from my phone with a ring light. I would say my style on Only Fans is amateur-authentic, and I do a fair bit of Cosplay." She added: "I only post content I'm comfortable with, and I make sure I'm staying within my boundaries."
After her first Only Fans payment of £500, Amber - who decided not to go ahead with her university degree - reached out to people in her local community via her Facebook account. She posted on her local community pages, and asked if there were any families who would benefit from a food parcel.
She said: "I took lots of inspiration from Marcus Rashford, he's incredible. We went to Tesco and filled two or three trolleys of toiletries like toothbrushes, toothpaste, and mouthwash, as well as feminine hygiene products. We got tinned foods that would last the longest, the basics that would make the most meals really. We couldn't fit it all in the car, so my partner had to come in his van to help."
Amber made up 20 food parcels, for people who had reached out to her on Facebook, and dropped them off at their homes, with any left overs being donated to local food banks. More recently she has donated £100 of dog food to Bark - an animal sanctuary close to her home town.
She said: "I make a lot of anonymous donations to various GoFundMe sites and charities. I've got around 10 direct debits that go out each month to children's hospitals, charities and the air ambulance. It's really important for me to spread my earnings as well as keep some aside for my family.''
Her career as a full-time Only Fans model has also allowed Amber - who says the day-to-day content creation "feels like it never stops" - to make dream purchases for herself and her family. She said: "I've moved into a new home since I started.
"Me and partner now live in a cottage in the middle of the woods, we're so lucky. I also recently bought my dream car, I've wanted one since I was 18. At Christmas I bought my family a £150 shopping voucher each. My mum and nan never treat themselves, so it was really rewarding."
And her plans get bigger. She said: "Eventually I would love to pay off my mum and dad's mortgage." She also hopes to buy a property herself.
Despite her charitable work, Amber has faced some negative comments on Twitter and TikTok. She said: "I get comments from people saying nurses work XYZ hours and you're selling pictures of your feet earning all this money. I agree, I think nurses should be paid the world, but it's out of my control.
"I know so many people who do Only Fans and are so giving and generous. There's such a stigma, people don't treat you like a human being, and they talk to you like scum. People should be more open-minded about it."
She said: "I'm just a generous person. The more I earn the more I'm able to give. People can shame me for my job, but I know that I'm a kind, supporting person."
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