Former EastEnders star Cheryl Fergison opened up about her money woes after being axed from the BBC soap. The actress, 60, is best known for playing Heather Trott in the programme, but was killed off by Ben Mitchell in 2011.
The TV star said she was forced to sell her home after a previous accountant allegedly "took all my money". In a new interview, the soap actress confessed she would never own a home again following the incident - but added she now prefers to rent.
Speaking in a new interview, Cheryl revealed that at the time she had been living with cancer. When asked, "Do you own property?" she replied, "No."
She continued in The Times: "I used to but I had a terrible time with an accountant who took all my money, which meant I fell into financial difficulties and had to sell a house.
"I also became ill at that point. I can’t remember how much I sold it for, it was a terrible time. I had cancer, there was a lot going.
Now I rent — I’ve realised that renting is probably the way to go for me from now on."
She claimed a former accountant had failed to file her taxes but HMRC said it was her responsibility.
"I lost between £400,000 and £500,000. I had this massive pay cheque and I put it in the bank, but had to take it out to pay the taxman. I’m still chasing my tail from it," she admitted.
At the height of her TV fame, Cheryl earned up to six figures but things changed once she was dropped from EastEnders.
The former soap star went on to explain she was forced to use food banks two years ago after she suffered a stroke, adding "my benefits weren’t set up and I was getting into debt again".
Speaking about earnings from last year, Cheryl admitted it wasn't much.
She added, "When I recently saw my accountant — a good one — they said, 'Cheryl, that was a low year, wasn’t it? But it’s good in terms of there’s not much tax to pay.' So, yeah, it wasn’t a great year. I’ve had better, let’s put it that way."
Meanwhile, the on-screen star's released her Cheryl Fergison: Behind the Scenes — My Secret Life Beyond EastEnders which is out now.
