Sopranos star Drea de Matteo reveals she earned enough money on OnlyFans to pay off her mortgage debt in just FIVE MINUTES – as she lifts the lid on the secrets behind her very lucrative shoots

Sopranos actress Drea de Matteo has praised OnlyFans for “saving her life” after her refusal to get the COVID vaccine cost her acting gigs and left her with just $10 in her bank account.

Although Drea, 52, was initially reluctant to join the adult subscription service last year, she has now revealed that her racy uploads proved so lucrative that she paid off her mortgage debt in five minutes – and even launched her own business.

The actress, who is carb-loading to get in shape for the money shots, also revealed how she not only almost lost her house, but also ran out of money to support a parent with dementia.

“It saved us,” she told DailyMail.com exclusively. “OnlyFans saved my life 100 percent. I can’t believe I’m saying that, but it really saved us.”

Tearfully, she continued, “Anyone who wants to condemn and tear me down, go for it. I just hope you never find yourself in the position I was in taking care of two small children.

‘It saved my house of many years which was very important to us. And what’s more, it has given me enough money to start up and finance ULTRAFREE.’

Drea only had $10 in her bank account when she started her OnlyFans account.

She found herself in a perilous financial situation after showing patience to help with her mortgage repayments, but ultimately was unable to pay the astronomical amount she owed to collectors.

“They foreclosed on me and my house was flooded, so I tried to sell the house quickly,” she said. “I wanted to try to sell it before they took it away.

‘At the same time I lost my mother, and my other mother, who has dementia, no longer had money for her caregiver. I didn’t know which way was up.’

But it didn’t take long before Drea started raking in big, life-saving money on OnlyFans.

“I kept putting up more and more pictures,” she remembers.

“I was like, holy sh*t. Within five minutes I was able to pay back Compass Real Estate, which secured the sale of my house.”

But turning to the platform wasn’t initially something Drea wanted to do. And when she first toyed with the idea, it was because she and her husband had been thinking about getting involved to create a quasi-podcast.

“I did it, but I didn’t want to do it,” she admitted. “I got a lot of attention for it and it went viral and people went crazy.

“I mean, the original premise of opening the OnlyFans was that Robbie and I were going to do a podcast there that was controversial. We wanted to put it behind a paywall so it wouldn’t be destroyed in the media.

“That’s what it was originally, you know, like when he rubs my feet, because you have to add something there for OnlyFans.”

Although Drea joined OnlyFans out of necessity, she’s grown to love it and found a new sense of empowerment — and she doesn’t plan on giving it up anytime soon.

“It feels good to see those pictures,” she said enthusiastically.

“They may have been updated here and there, but the truth is they are videotaping me going live during the photo shoot so fans can see the photo shoot happening in real time.

“For the most part I look good, and the best part is I’m gaining weight. I don’t look good in photos if I’m skinny. Before the photo shoot I am allowed to eat and eat. I need to gain weight to look better.”

Drea revealed her surprising diet before the photo shoot: “We’re just carb-loading. I’m just an Italian lady in the world, eating spaghetti, pasta and steak.

‘You want your boobs to be big and your butt big. Otherwise the photos will be a sleepover!’

In addition to gaining self-confidence and paying off her debts, Drea has also been able to launch her own streetwear brand, ULTRAFREE.

The clothing style is inspired by her 12-year-old son Waylon.

“He’s a hype beast, and it works for us because we’re going to do a lot of limited edition stuff because some of it is handmade in our backyard,” she shared.

Drea explains that the concept behind the clothing is about ‘making freedom cool again’.

“Freedom from anything that makes you feel trapped, whether it’s a mental illness, a physical illness or an ideology,” she said.

“God knows that the ideologies put forward in the last three years have not helped society.

“The merchandise is about don’t let them tell you who you are, you already know who you are, no matter what.

‘Don’t let anyone keep you down, you don’t need exercise, you just need to be free.’