Shane Richie ‘is latest star to claim from the furlough scheme despite earning six figures on I’m A Celeb’ – after admitting he was ‘skint’ last year
Shane Richie is the latest celebrity to be revealed as a furlough claimant.
In the latest instalment of The Sun’s furlough exposé, the EastEnders actor, 56, has reportedly claimed cash from the government arrangement, which supplements wages in the wake of the pandemic.
Public HMRC files lists his business – Bluebelle Skye Productions – among the 600,000 plus companies to claim from the fund.
Furloughed: Shane Richie is the latest celebrity to be revealed as a furlough claimant
Shane is listed as co-director of the business with his wife Christie, according to Companies House.
The company coffers had a balance of £4,165 in capital and before appearing on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2020, Shane admitted he was cash-strapped.
He is reported to have received six-figures to enter Gwrych Castle in Wales for the Covid-friendly series last autumn.
Explaining that the pandemic had seen work dry up, Shane said prior to appearing on the show: ‘I was going on tour, doing a TV series and panto but it all got cancelled in March. Now I am literally skint!
Claimant: The EastEnders actor, 56, has reportedly claimed cash from the government arrangement, which supplements wages in the wake of the pandemic
A boost to funds: Before appearing on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2020 Shane admitted he was cash-strapped
‘You save for a rainy day but you don’t expect the rainy day to last eight months. Thankfully, I’ve been able to borrow money from mates, my family and the bank.’
MailOnline has approached reps for comment.
At one point in his career, he fronted adverts for washing powder Daz – which he claimed netted him £500,000 for 21 days work.
He told his campmates on I’m A Celeb that this killed his career.
Pay day: He is reported to have received six-figures to enter Gwrych Castle in Wales for the Covid-friendly series last autumn [pictured with Jordan North]
‘I was Mr Saturday Night, Grease, the jobs were coming in as an actor, even dramas for the BBC. I did the job and my career, it stopped overnight. No one was calling as you become a TV personality.’
This comes after millionaire Cara Delevingne and her family were revealed to be claiming cash from the furlough scheme for their property business.
The model, 28, is a director of the family’s company, Harvey White Properties Ltd, alongside her father Charles, 71, and two sisters Poppy, 34, and Chloe, 35.
According to The Sun, the business, which has an impressive portfolio of real estate thought to be worth £45.5m, has been made to halve rents during the pandemic.
Making use of the help: Cara Delevingne and her family are claiming cash from the furlough scheme for their property business Harvey White Properties Ltd (pictured in November 2020)
Cara’s father Charles confirmed to the publication he’s been claiming from the scheme. It is not known how many members of staff have been furloughed but the company is thought to employ five people.
A source close to Mr Delevingne said: ‘Just because Cara has loads of money, doesn’t mean the company does.’
While another added: ‘It has been a tough year for everyone and landlords have obviously been hit hard, but it’s still surprising people who are known to be very wealthy appear to have claimed taxpayer-funded handouts.
They added that there’s ‘no suggestion of any wrongdoing’ at all, saying that it’s ‘just not necessarily what the public would expect.’
MailOnline has contacted Cara and Charles’ representatives for a comment.
Family: The model, 28, is a director of the company alongside her father Charles, 71, and two sisters Poppy, 34, and Chloe, 35 (pictured with mother Pandora, who is not a director)
Any eligible business can claim for taxpayer money from the scheme to help pay staff wages while the pandemic and national lockdowns continue.
The Delevingnes’ Harvey White Properties Ltd, was featured in a list published in January of thousands of companies which have made use of the scheme.
Cara is thought worth around £30million and earned an impressive £15.7million last year, making her Britain’s top paid model.
London native Cara also earns big thanks to modelling for some of the industry’s biggest and cosmetics brands, including Burberry, DKNY, Jimmy Choo and Rimmel.
In 2019 interview, Cara, who is also a director of her father Charles’ £45million real estate firm, admitted that money isn’t everything for her.
She said: ‘I had a very privileged upbringing in terms of being able to travel and growing up in London, which was incredible for me.
‘Having a wonderful family and my father… he didn’t grow up with a lot of money and he is extremely ambitious and driven to look after his family and all of us. I realised money isn’t everything.’
The furlough news comes after it was reported that Cara and her model sister Poppy had put their Hollywood Hills home on the market for $3.75 million, four years after purchasing it for $2.5million.
A source close to Mr Delevingne said: ‘Just because Cara has loads of money, doesn’t mean the company does’ (Charles and Pandora are pictured with Cara in 2014)
The pair, who are descended from British aristocracy, jointly bought the two-storey house on America’s West Coast in 2017, but are now keen to make a substantial profit by putting it up for sale.
Formerly owned by Oscar-winning actor Jared Leto, the home measures at a sizeable 4,021 square feet and offers space, seclusion and privacy courtesy of its prime location on a ‘quiet’ Hollywood street.
Cara and Poppy worked with architect Nicolò Bini for 18 months to redesign the home to their exact specifications, with the interior displaying a series of light-hearted and highly distinctive flourishes.
According to the Observer, Poppy and Cara bought the 1950s style four-bed, three-bath home from actor Jared Leto in 2017 for $2.05 million.
Cashing in: The furlough news comes after it was reported that Cara and her model sister Poppy had put their stunning Hollywood Hills home on the market for $3.75 million
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