A Game of Thrones actress has revealed how she ditched her law degree as a student to become a porn star – and it has boosted her self-esteem and made her happier.
Ella Hughes, 22, from Southampton a city southwest of London, revealed how she now makes a living by having sex on camera, selling dirty lingerie to fans and by performing stripteases on webcam.
The sex star has built up a gigantic fan base thanks to her work, boasting 200,000 followers on Twitter and Instagram.
And her work has even taken her to the big screen too, landing a part in HBO hit Game of Thrones, starring as a prostitute in the sixth series.
With racy underwear shots and X-rated line of work, Ella oozes with confidence – but it wasn’t always the way of the shy student.
Ella said on the BBC Three series Sex Map of Britain’s episode called A Career in Porn: “Before I got into porn I was a very shy girl, I didn’t even talk to someone on the phone.
“I hated the sound of my own voice and never thought I was pretty enough.
“I struggled a lot with weight issues. I never thought in a million years I would be capable of doing something like this.”
The fascinating series lifts the lid of people around the UK for whom sex, sexuality and having children is less than straightforward, including one episode featuring couples looking for a sperm donor.
Ella originally intended to study law, which she has currently put on hold, and had no prior plans of being a porn star.
She said on the show: “I’m halfway through that, I have postponed that for now. I did a stint doing lads’ mags, then it kind of progressed from one into the other.”
And although she has seen great success in the industry, the job does come with a lot of trolls and negative comments.
In the past she has received hate mail, with people labelling her a w—–, a s–t or a prostitute.
Some even go as far as to say she is riddled with STIs.
Thankfully Ella has a positive outlook on her work and ignores any critics who try to bring her down.
She said: “For me I almost kind of don’t care, because my love for my job kind of outweighs them, it conquers all.”
However Ella sees herself as a savvy businesswoman, who has ambitions of directing her own porn film and owning her creative company – a goal she is keen to achieve before entering the “milf” bracket.
She said: “At the end of the day I am a businesswoman, I am my own company and if that’s not power to women then what is?”
