RTE reality star Kate McGrew has insisted she isn’t ashamed of being a prostitute.
The Connected star works as an escort to boost her income in Cork, where she lives – but insisted she isn’t a victim.
She said: “I really do enjoy it. I find it interesting and pleasurable, thankfully.”
Now Kate – who was born in Ohio – “expects haters” to target her after Goss.ie told yesterday how she was a part-time sex worker.
New series: Connected kicks off on RTE 2 | RTE
The American, 35, said she got into the business after discovering she’d earn far more money than her job with Greenpeace.
But Kate insisted: “I don’t mean to or want to glamorise it. That’s not helpful either. There are women who have a less nice experience than I’ve had.
“I don’t mean to say the work is empowering — it’s often boring and frustrating too — but it’s a very good additional income.”
However Kate does hope that appearing on the RTE2 show will allow her to change peoples opinion of the world’s oldest profession.
“It’s something I feel strongly about so it just made sense to me to be open about it,” she told the Irish Sun. “It could have been an aspect of my life that I didn’t talk about but that didn’t feel right.
Launch: Kate helping to kick off RTE show | ANDRES PROVIDA
“I feel strongly, so I wasn’t going to do that. It had the potential for changing existing legislation (on the sex industry) and I felt it could be a good opportunity to get people talking.
“There are different kinds of women working in the industry and people often see these women as not making a fully-formed decision. I thought any humanising of the industry would be a good thing.”
She added that she wants to see the law changed to allow her to have security protect her – or to be able to work with others.
She said: “I would like to work with another woman but I can’t do that because that would be a brothel, and if I give money to anyone to help me with my work, that’s a pimp as far as the law is concerned.
“I advertise on websites and I have a lot of regular clients. I’m my own boss, my own pimp.”
