Sheila Ferguson: Me & my money (2024)

By This Is Money
Created: 09:39 EDT, 25 February 2009

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Sheila Ferguson sang in The Three Degrees - Prince Charles's favourite band.

Sheila Ferguson: Me & my money (1)

Wise: Shelia invested in property, not furs

Leaving in 1986 to raise her twins Alexandria and Alesia, Sheila turned to acting and writing and starred in the fourth series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

Sheila, 60, who has homes in Majorca and Amersham, Bucks.

HOW MUCH WAS IN YOUR FIRST WAGE PACKET?

As a teenager, I got a summer job in a nursing home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for $92 a week. My memory is of sadness because a lot of wealthy people put their relations out to pasture.

On visiting days, nobody came to see them, so I would sing to them. Back then, I was a grade-A student and planned to go to college to become a psychologist.

Before that, I worked briefly in a laundrette but was fired because the boss said I looked too good and distracted the men!

THE THREE DEGREES MADE YOU A FORTUNE. WAS IT HARD NOT TO GO WILD SPENDING MONEY?

Not at all. The other girls invested in fur coats and Cadillacs, while I invested in property. When I wasn't working I still had an income, so I didn't have to worry about not having a job.

HOW MUCH DID YOU PAY FOR YOUR FIRST HOME?

It was in Gladwin, Pennsylvania, which was an all-white area. I'd made money from The Three Degrees and I loved the house. But the day I moved in I had to be escorted by state troopers because neighbourhood racists burned a cross on my lawn.

It was a five-bedroom house and cost me $142,000 in 1975. I later sold it for $152,000, which wasn't bad. When I moved to England, I bought a house that Edward VII built for Lillie Langtry in Bray, Berkshire, for £200,000, where I lived for 23 years.

My marriage eventually broke up and I kept the house. I later sold it and moved to Majorca, where I live now.

WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST EXTRAVAGANCE?

I had to turn on the Christmas lights in Oxford Street. I was told it was a big deal, so I bought a £10,000 outfit that I hated! It was sequinned with no cleavage and I never wore it again. On some album covers I wore dresses that cost £20 from Petticoat Lane Market.

DO AMERICANS HAVE A DIFFERENT ATTITUDE TO MONEY?

Americans have a very capitalistic 'you go girl' attitude if you're doing well. They're very upfront. Here, it is more: 'Oh gosh, is it new money or old money?' It's scoffed at in a cynical way. It shouldn't be like that.

HOW MANY CREDIT CARDS DO YOU HAVE IN YOUR PURSE?

Every card in the world. I have Visa, MasterCard, my company card, American Express, British Airways, Spanish cards, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer. It depends who is giving one away at the time.

DO YOU PREFER TO PAY BY CARD OR CASH?

Card because I like to see what I'm buying, and find it interesting that Tesco targets me with coupons depending on what I purchase. It's quite shocking sometimes when I see what I've spent.

WHAT'S THE BIGGEST TIP YOU'VE EVER GIVEN?

There was a time I saw an old friend travelling to New York on the Greyhound bus. This guy was sitting in front of me and I recognised him from high school, but clearly he hadn't done well.

We started talking and when he fell asleep by the window, I put a $100 bill in his pocket and made sure that I got off the bus before him. I haven't seen him since. It was just to let him know that I understood his plight. He was really down on his luck.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE CHARITY?

I have just been appointed an ambassador of The Prince's Trust by Prince Charles. I also work with Parentalk, which helps splintered families get back together.

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Sheila Ferguson: Me & my money (2024)
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