Lingerie boss Melanie Marsden: ‘I'd breastfeed my baby during webinars'
Felicity appears before six and gets between us for a cuddle. Then Dan brings me a cup of tea and we do a 'prince and princess' breakfast in bed — a pancake for Felicity and a squishy yoghurt for Fred. It's about pace; we don't have time to sit around a breakfast
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The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
The rise of ‘SugarTok' where women ‘date' wealthy, older men and make up to £40k a year in a bid to pay off debts
SCROLL through TikTok and you can't miss the increasing number of young women flaunting luxury 'sugar baby' lifestyles funded by wealthy, older men. But is it a bit of fun, or something darker – and at what cost? Fabulous investigates… 5 5 Looking at the mounting pile of bills on the hall table of her student flat, Roxy* felt a rising sense of anxiety. Studying geography at university by day, her four-night-a-week bar job simply wasn't enough to keep up with the rising cost of living. It was a TikTok video that would open Roxy's eyes to the possibility of a controversial way out of her financial struggles. As she scrolled through the app one evening three years ago, the algorithm shared a video made by a 'sugar baby' – a young woman involved in a relationship with an older, wealthy partner. Showing off a £5,000 Chanel handbag, the petite blonde explained her flash lifestyle was all down to her 'sugar daddy', who paid for her company and lavished her with gifts. Searching #sugarbaby, Roxy was stunned and intrigued to see thousands of similar videos, with young women on luxury holidays, showing off designer clothes and revealing their bank statements – all paid for by their sugar daddies. 'I'd heard of sugar daddies, but had no idea this lifestyle had become so prolific among girls my age,' she says. 'There was this whole world out there of women leading amazing lifestyles, and although some did mention they were having sex, many seemed like they were just being paid and rewarded for their company.' With 314k videos on TikTok using the hashtag #sugarbaby and thousands more using #sugarbabyproblems, it's now a thriving social media trend. 'I saw these girls my age living lives of luxury, and I wondered where I'd gone wrong' Roxy was 21 when she first spotted the posts. 'Life was so hard at that time,' she recalls. 'I was living off pasta and beans, struggling to pay bills and working until 3am, then getting up to go to lectures. My mum helped when she could, but money was already tight for her. I wasn't able to buy new clothes or go on nights out. I was feeling increasingly isolated. 'I saw these girls the same age as me living a life of luxury, and wondered where I'd gone wrong,' she says. In 2022, at the start of her second year of university, Roxy signed up to a site where men are invited to bid for dates, after finding herself unable to afford the deposit for a new flat. 'That was the tipping point when I thought: 'Enough is enough.' I wanted more than life was giving me. 'The site popped up when I googled 'sugar daddies'. If a man makes an offer, you can accept, decline or counter. The money is exchanged on the date itself. There was no mention of sex and it seemed legitimate. It was just going on dates. 'I went on a few dates and, initially, men were buying me dinner and paying me around £200,' Roxy says. 'Most of them were in their 50s or 60s, but they weren't terrible company. We'd talk about their jobs and their hobbies and sometimes they'd kiss me on the cheek at the end of the night. It seemed like an easy way to make money.' One or two were 'creepy', she admits. 'I had one guy who kept saying: 'I'm going to stroke you now', and he would touch my back and arms. He hadn't even given me the money at that stage. I always met the men somewhere public, where I felt safe.' In three months, Roxy went on eight dates and made around £2,000. Then, in December 2022, she met Mike, a 58-year-old investment banker who said he'd struggled to hold down a 'proper' relationship as he travelled so much for work. After paying for four dates, he asked to make their relationship more permanent. 'I was worried,' Roxy admits. 5 'Did he want me to sleep with him? I wasn't sure how much 'sugar' I wanted to give. He'd already paid me over £1,000 in a month in cash. 'But I liked spending time with him, and he was clear that he only wanted one 'baby'. I didn't want to lose him. I agreed to go to Dubai with him and spent five days shopping and lazing by the pool. It was amazing and I couldn't believe I was being paid £2,000 to go on holiday. We didn't have sex. He was gentlemanly and considerate, and I had my own room.' Roxy isn't unique in having experienced the financial challenges of being a student nowadays. A recent survey by UCL revealed 68% of students can't afford course material. A separate poll found 67% sometimes skip meals to save cash.* Added to that, a recent study by and the Campaign Against Living Miserably found that half of young people feel pressure from social media to buy things or to look a certain way, and 43% spend more than they can afford to keep up with what they see on their feeds. Against this backdrop, it's perhaps little wonder that women like Roxy are being tempted into finding a 'sugar relationship'. Chartered psychologist Dr Louise Goddard-Crawley says: 'Social media doesn't just reflect culture, it creates it. When you're constantly exposed to images of designer clothes, luxury holidays and filtered lifestyles, it's easy to feel like you're falling behind.' She adds: 'If you're financially stretched and still working out who you are, the idea of being wanted and looked after can feel incredibly appealing. But what is never shown is the emotional cost, the power dynamics, the pressure to perform and the impact on your self-worth. 'Even if sex is technically consensual, if it's tied to financial support or a sense of obligation, it can leave people feeling out of step with their own desires. I've heard people say: 'I didn't really want to, but I felt I should.'' 'He said he'd up my allowance to £4,000 a month if I slept with him' It was following their Dubai trip that Mike first asked Roxy for sex, after giving her a £10,000 Chanel handbag. By this stage, they'd been 'dating' for three months. He was paying her £3,000 cash every month, as well as buying her fancy gifts, but said he'd up his allowance to £4,000 if she slept with him. 'He was much older than me and I hadn't slept with many men in the past, so I was nervous. But in many ways, I was happier than I'd been in years. I was doing well at uni without money worries on my mind, I got to go out and spend time with my friends, and he wasn't jealous or possessive, so I said yes.' Roxy describes the first time as nerve-wracking and says she just wanted to get it over with. 'Afterwards, I asked myself: 'Am I now the same as a prostitute?' But I decided this was different. We were in a relationship of sorts, and there are plenty of marriages where the men support the wives who stay home. I didn't enjoy the sex – I liked Mike but I wasn't attracted to him in that way, but I pretended to be having fun for his sake.' Roxy and Mike were in a sugar relationship for two years, sleeping with one another several times a month. 'I didn't tell my family, as I knew mum would be ashamed. I told her I had a boyfriend who came from a wealthy family. Even then she warned me to be careful. I confided in some close friends, who thought it was great – they didn't judge me at all.' Their relationship ended in 2023 when Mike moved overseas, but since then she's had two more regular sugar daddies. She is currently in a relationship with Paul*, 55, who she's been seeing for six months. 'Paul likes me to attend events with him and go for dinner after work. I haven't slept with him,' Roxy says. 'He buys me gifts, takes me away for weekends, and he pays my rent.' But dating coach Eimear Draper warns such relationships are fundamentally unhealthy. 'In a healthy relationship, there should be equality. That doesn't mean you have to earn the same, but there should be respect for what you contribute to a life you are building together. In a sugar-baby relationship, there is no equality. It's transactional.' 'One girl's sugar daddy paid for her New York apartment, but he wanted sex every night' 5 Former sugar baby Nova Jewels dated four sugar daddies in five years, earning herself around £40,000 a year. Despite making so much money, she hates seeing this kind of lifestyle promoted on social media. 'People don't realise how dangerous it can be,' says Nova, 29, from Dundee. 'Each time you get a new daddy, you have to do security checks, find out if they are legitimate and if the name they give is their real name. I have my wits about me. If I got the slightest inclination that something was off, I'd cut them off.' Nova understands why sugar babies would brag online. 'They can earn a mad amount of money, and I don't think people believe it's real until they experience it themselves,' she says. 'But it's not always as luxurious or straightforward as some influencers would have you believe. 'I often see naive women commenting on posts and saying they are going to do it to pay off debt or feed their children. But this is an adult industry. I knew one girl whose daddy paid for her to live in a multimillion-dollar apartment in New York, but he wanted sex every night. I don't think many people understand where the line is now.' Nova quit working as a sugar baby in April and now has a regular nine-to-five job in events. 'I've had a total turnaround,' she says. 'The money was amazing, though I never slept with my sugar daddies. It provided me with a life and money that a nine-to-five job would never have done, but it needed to stop. 'I definitely don't earn the same now, but I love the independence of having my own job and earning my own money. It's time to stand on my own two feet,' she says. Sugar relationships are not just attracting young women like Roxy and Nova. Sarah* is 50 and has earned over £4,000 since signing up to be a sugar baby in December last year. She was newly divorced and struggling to pay off £10,000 of debt she'd been saddled with in the wake of her marriage breakdown. 'I was sinking under the weight of the debt, which we'd had as a couple. We had to split it when we broke up, and we had two children to look after,' she says. 'My children are teenagers, so I am able to work nights in a supermarket, but it isn't enough. 'I signed up to a site and, within days, I had men offering me money to go on dates with them. I did worry I was too old and no one would be interested, but I had a lot of interest despite my age.' Sarah's first sugar daddy was married and, after several dates, she had sex with him, earning around £1,500. But he constantly pestered her, and said he wanted her to fall in love with him. 'In the end, I had to cut him off,' Sarah says. 'I kept on dating, but after that I did make my boundaries clear. I won't have sex with a sugar daddy again. 'Now, I mainly just have lunch dates and coffee with lonely older men. They just want some company and a woman on their arm. It's harmless,' she says. 'For me, it's just a way of paying off my debt. When it's done, I'll stop. There is no emotional connection. It's a way of getting my life back. 'No one knows that I've been dating sugar daddies. I'd be devastated if my children found out. It's not an example I want to set for them.' 'I have to look good for my daddies – I'm in the gym every day and I have my hair and nails done' 5 Now on her third sugar daddy, Roxy says although she felt financially pressured into the lifestyle initially, now she wouldn't change it for the world. She has come out of university debt-free and hasn't found the need to find a proper job, thanks to her 'income' of £3,000 a month from her relationships. 'My family think I do a bit of fashion work to earn money. I'm not flashy with it. Most of my stuff is understated and I never brag on socials.' 'I don't need to work,' she says. 'I do have to spend time taking care of myself, as I want to look good for my daddies, so I'm in the gym every day and I get my hair and nails done regularly. 'Of course, not everyone will approve of this lifestyle, but it's my life – you only get one, and I'll live it how I choose. 'I'd love to meet someone for a 'real' relationship one day, but right now that's not a priority and I'm certainly not looking. If it happens, maybe I'd have to give this up, but they'd have to be really special – or rich.'
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
An Englishman's home is his… MAN CAVE: British blokes prioritise fun over function in a property, research shows
British blokes prioritise fun over function when choosing a home, new research reveals. A new study by Britain's biggest online estate agency Purplebricks highlights how UK men care more about having a dedicated space to unwind or enjoy themselves than women. Nearly a third of men (28%) say their biggest priority when looking for a home is a games room, compared to just one in 10 (16%) women. This £1.4 million eight-bed detached home in St Lawrence on the Isle of Wight boasts a sizable games room housing both a pool table and ping pong table. One in five men (22%) list a home cinema and gym (23%) among their top priorities when buying a property, compared to around one in 10 women (14% and 16%). This £945,000 six-bed detached home in Stafford comes complete with a gym and would be an ideal home for around a quarter of UK men. Men (19%) are far more likely to be swayed by a potential property if it has 'smart tech' throughout than women (14%). A drinks bar is also more popular among male home-hunters (15%) than female (12%), the survey of 2,000 UK homeowners reveals. And, a private space or 'man cave' is a must-have for one in 10 UK men (15%) compared to fewer than one in 10 women (9%) who want a room just for them. Meanwhile, women prefer function over fun in their ideal home, with their chief priority being a kitchen island – a feature favoured by nearly half (48%) of wives and girlfriends. A bath would sway more women in buying than men, with nearly half (47%) saying they would look for one in a future home, over two in five men (41%). Another big draw for women is a utility room, desired by nearly half (47%) of the women polled, compared to around a third (37%) of men. And, a walk-in wardrobe is among the top priorities for a third (35%) of women compared to just two in 10 (22%) of men. The poll also revealed nearly three-quarters of men (71%) believe the lounge is the most important room in the home. Second is the bedroom (42%) and third is the kitchen (41%). Two-thirds (66%) of women agree the lounge is the room where they care most about the décor and design of. Second on the list for women is the kitchen (50%) followed by the bedroom (47%). Tom Evans, Sales Director at Purplebricks, said: 'It turns out everyone wants their own space, whether it's a man cave, a gaming zone or just somewhere to relax. 'Today's homebuyers are prioritising lifestyle-friendly features that help them unwind, entertain or enjoy everyday moments'
The Sun
6 hours ago
- The Sun
Tesco slashes price of summer staple dress by 50% – it's a ‘versatile piece' for any occasion
SAVVY shoppers can pick up a summer wardrobe staple from Tesco for cheaper than ever. The retailer slashed the price of the stylish buy by a whopping 50%, but you'll want to hurry. A common idea in the world of fashion is that every woman needs at least one black dress. Classic, chic, and most importantly extremely easy to style, you can't go wrong with a LBD. And now you can add a summer element with a midi version currently on sale from Tesco. Classic look The retailer has reduced F&F Cotton Rich Sleeveless Ribbed Racer Midi Dress from £16 to just £8. Available in sizes six through 22, this simple yet stylish buy is the perfect versatile for any occasion. "This ribbed midi dress is an easy go-to for summer days," read the product description. Product details It is made from a cotton rich fabric and designed in a classic racer silhouette. According to designers, this makes the dress "a versatile piece for any wardrobe". They suggested pairing the look with sandals or trainers for "effortless styling". If you want to nab this item at the reduced price, you have until Wednesday, August 13. Shoppers are going wild for the 'only bag you need this summer' - it's only £6 & you'll be surprised by where it's from And thanks to the light material, there's no danger of overheating in this black dress. So why not swing by your local Tesco and pick up this item for your summer holiday? More on summer style And another Tesco dress that's perfect for late summer and early autumn. The retailer has yet another . You can complete your chic summer look with the perfect pumps from M&S. Plus, an £18 Sainsbury's dress that guarantees complements all summer long. And the universally flattering M&S carrot leg jeans are back in stock for less than £40.
