A former council joiner who escaped a ‘rough’ upbringing to earn a jaw-dropping £1million a year as an influencer has said that jealous trolls from his past try to tear him down at every turn.
Scott Shearsmith, 36, grew up on Bransholme, Europe’s largest council estate, in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire.
He says he had to learn to toughen up just to survive school and never imagined he’d one day be rubbing shoulders with reality stars and driving a £60,000 Range Rover Sport.
‘I worked hard to be where I am. I grew up on one of the biggest estates and it was a rough area and I went to a rough school,’ he said, ‘I had to look after myself otherwise you would get bullied.’
After 11 years working as a council joiner and ‘just getting through day to day’, Scott’s life changed dramatically thanks to his growing presence on social media and a stint in modelling.
‘The modelling was really good, I hung out with lots of Love Island people and built my profile and got more followers,’ he said.
But it was when he started sharing horse racing tips that things really took off and the money started pouring in.
‘When I did the horse racing thing it suddenly all went crazy. I’ve always been into horses since I was around 14 when my dad used to take me to the races.
‘It’s something I stumbled across and thought ‘I’ll do that to earn money rather than influencing and modelling’ and it worked out.’
With more than 120,000 followers and viral TikToks, Scott now claims he makes up to £1million a year, though he admits the numbers can vary.
‘I make around £800,000 to £1million a year, but every year is different. I used to dream of stuff like that and look at other people thinking, ‘can this really happen?’
But with the money and success has come envy. Scott says people from his past haven’t taken kindly to his new lifestyle, and he’s faced everything from online abuse to real-world theft.
‘When I go out sometimes people get photos with me but sometimes you get the other side of things when people are jealous. There are some jealous hometown haters,’ he said.
‘I get hundreds of comments from people saying horrible things such as that I don’t know horse betting, calling me a joke or mocking my hair – they’re clearly just jealous and trying to tear me down.’
The hate even extended to his girlfriend, reality star Jordi Leigh, who featured on ITV2’s Olivia Attwood’s Bad Boyfriends.
‘My girlfriend posted a video of us at Cheltenham and she got lots of comments saying horrible things about me. They just hate our success and it’s annoying but it’s part of the job,’ he said.
‘A couple of years ago it used to really affect me, that’s not nice for anyone. Over the years I have grown thick skin.’
Things reached a breaking point on New Year’s Eve in 2020, when Scott’s home was raided and thieves made off with his laptop, £25,000 Rolex, and his luxury SUV.
‘I left the house on New Year’s Eve in 2020 and everything got robbed – my laptop, my car, my Rolex,’ he said.
Now Scott is planning a fresh start in Manchester with Jordi, who he met on Instagram in late 2024. The couple quickly fell for each other and even got matching tattoos after just one month together.
‘I think she’s very attractive and very like me. She’s very ambitious, wants the same things as me, very easy going, very loving, so she had a lot of points that I’m looking for in a girl.
‘We got a tattoo when we were away in Thailand after a month. We got our names tattooed just under the chest,’ Scott revealed.
And while his family once thought he was crazy for giving up the safety of a council job, they’re now firmly on Team Scott – and even work for him.
‘My parents always said working for the council is a job for life and I’d be mad to leave it. My dad said I’m in a dream world and won’t make money from social media. Now my dad works for me doing my admin and my parents are proud of me.’
