Gogglebox star Sandra Martin has revealed she’s finally off benefits after landing a job at a funeral home.
The 61-year-old TV personality revealed in March this year that she was back on benefits after falling on hard times – despite making “more money than anyone else” during her stint on the Channel 4 show.
But Sandra has now turned her life around again and earns a wage as a cleaner in her friend’s company – a job she only started three weeks ago.
In a new interview, the bubbly TV star revealed how she initially turned down a role as a receptionist at the funeral parlor because it would have been “too emotional,” but is happy to “show respect for the deceased” by keeping the place clean.
She said The sun: ‘I’m 61 and grandma. Three weeks ago I was on benefits and looking for work. Now I’m cleaning a funeral parlor after a friend opened one in Hastings.’
Good for you: Gogglebox star Sandra Martin has revealed she’s finally off benefits after landing a job at a funeral home
Tough times: The TV personality, 61, revealed in March this year that she was back on benefits after falling on hard times – despite claiming she “earned more than anyone else” during her stint with the Channel 4 show
She went on to say that she will soon be taking a ‘confidence and communication’ course to develop new skills if she wants to become a receptionist, but for now she feels happier being a cleaner.
Sandra explains: ‘I don’t want to do the reception work in the beginning, I think it gets too emotional.
“But for now, I’m happy to keep the place clean out of respect for the deceased. I think it will be respectful.’
Sandra, who lives in Hastings but is originally from Brixton, has been on occasional benefits since leaving Gogglebox in 2018 – with the exception of a short stint at Midlands railway station.
The TV star shared how she found it difficult to work because she would be “constantly stopped” for selfies.
In March, Sandra revealed that during her time on the Channel 4 series, she had “paid more than anyone else.”
Sandra and her best friend Sandi Bogle, 58, became one of the most popular duos on the show when it started in 2013.
But in 2017, Sandi left the show to pursue her singing career and was replaced by Sandra’s daughter Chanchez before she too left the show shortly after.
Speak against The sun she claimed that as a “star of the show” she was paid more than any other cast member, allowing her to enjoy a “luxury lifestyle.”
She said, “I got more than everyone else because everyone else worked, but I was on benefits and I was the best to make the show.”
‘I got the contract and they paid my rent, council tax, TV license, electricity, gas, all the bills you need’.
Before adding, “I lived a luxurious lifestyle.”
Remarkably rich: Sandra, 61, (right) and her best friend Sandi Bogle, 58, (left) from Brixton became one of the most popular duos on the show when it started in 2013
The fan favorite said she wasted her earnings from the show – believed to be around £1,500 a month – on takeaway meals and getting her hair done.
Earlier that month, she revealed she had been forced to return to benefits after going through hard times.
Sandra won over British audiences with her infectious cackling and love of Pot Noodles during her time on the show, but by 2018 she was left homeless.
Despite the setback, Sandra revealed that they remain friends after 50 years: “No matter what we go through, she always has a room for her here and she always has a room for me.
“We’re besties. We’ve been through, ups, downs, thick and thin, the worst, the wear and tear, the tears, the bumps, the laughs.’
Sandra previously explained how she burned through her wages quickly, previously telling Loose Women, “The money was coming in. The bank account was big because I was in the community, all my friends on social media.”
“I never got help, but the money was wasteful. Money went, taxis, hair, takeaway, friends wanting money. The money is just gone. It was normal to help, I don’t regret it.’
Sandra added that in some moments she wished she had never found fame, explaining, “I wanted to burn it all and get back to it.” I’m not the celebrity. I do a lot of charity work, they don’t pay me, Sandi loves being on the red carpet.’