'Gogglebox earned me £100k a year but now I'm totally skint'

Gogglebox has turned its stars into household names and provided them with some pretty impressive pay packets - and one former star has revealed exactly how much she made

Gogglebox has certainly introduced us to some unforgettable characters, providing endless entertainment and some truly iconic TV moments. But one question that's always been on our minds is just how much do these Gogglebox stars rake in for their hilarious commentary?

Former star Sandra Martin, who was on benefits before she shot to fame on the Channel 4 hit in 2013, has claimed she bagged a staggering £100,000 annually from her stint on the show. Although Sandra can't reveal the exact figures Channel 4 dished out for her Gogglebox appearances, she did reveal to the Daily Mail: "It was the best wage I ever earned in my life and I got asked to do loads of celebrity appearances at events which Channel 4 would also pay me for".

She added: "I paid tax on an income of £100,000. In fact, ever since I started doing Gogglebox in 2012, I have earned around £100,000 every year." The TV favourite also mentioned that she only had to commit to Gogglebox two days a week for half the year, leaving her plenty of time to continue her long-standing tradition of selling goods at car boot sales, something she's done since she was 18.

Sandra went on to say that signing up for Gogglebox turned out to be the most lucrative 'money decision' she's ever made after being scouted for the show while sipping a drink at her local pub in Brixton. At that point, Sandra was living off benefits and recalled in another chat: "I was tipsy because I'd been on the brandy and the bartender told him 'Go to Queen Bee' and it was the best thing that happened to me", reports OK!.

The Gogglebox favourite also shared: "I got paid more than anyone else, more than any of the other families because they were working and I had to come off benefits to appear on the show. All the bills that you have to pay for in life they dealt with for me and left me around £300 to £500 a week on top of that to get my hair and nails done and other expenses.

"I could have bought a house with all the money I made but I gave it away, I took care of my family and friends. I filled their fridges, took them shopping to buy clothes and paid for meals."

She also bagged herself an advert to promote a Chinese TV show, which lined her pockets with £10,000 - and that was £6,000 in the bank after the taxman took his share. But life has swung like a pendulum for Sandra since she waved goodbye to Gogglebox in 2017; from being sorted with "everything paid for" by the TV hit to being out of work, couch-surfing, and peddling merchandise just to keep the larder stocked.

Earlier this year, Sandra confessed that she's skint and hanging by a thread on £238-a-month Universal Credit, yet, she's defiantly enjoyed glitzy getaways to Ibiza, Amsterdam and Portugal, courtesy of her devoted followers who've coughed up the dough for her vivacious presence. In a chat with The Sun, the star excitedly shared: "I've been on five holidays since Christmas Day and I'm going to Malta too, it's all because of Gogglebox.

"I've been to Amsterdam, Portugal, Benidorm and lots of other places. Soon I'm going to Skegness. People love me and I give them entertainment so they pay for my trips.

"It's because I've got such a large platform, I'm on social media every day and talk to my fans. People are bored and I cheer them up. I get a lot of hate for it because I'm always on planes but people gift these trips to me. It's a miracle really, they must have spent thousands of pounds on me."