Toyah's early struggles for fame and fortune have shaped her current attitude towards money. 

The 80s pop queen says: "My parents struggled financially and when I was at drama school I was so poor all I could afford to eat was a Mars bar and a cup of tea. It was the generosity of friends that kept me fed and sheltered." 

But money worries are now a thing of the past. The I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! contestant now owns a string of investment properties but says she will never charge rent. Instead, she offers them to personal contacts if they take on responsibility for the upkeep. 

Her first taste of fame came when she appeared in the 1977 punk movie Jubilee. Later that year she put together her own band and she finally achieved chart success at the age of 23 with It's A Mystery. 

"During the first years of my career my accountants were pilfering my money," she says. "I've been my own financial manager for the last 10 years." 

She has continued to be successful in film and theatre and spent much of last year performing in the West End production of Calamity Jane. 

Toyah bought her house in Chiswick for £117,000 eight years ago. It's now worth about £250,000. 

"I've got a few bonds and ISAs as well and about 20 different pension plans," she says. 

"But they've all lost 40 per cent and I'm really angry. The problem with these products is that financial advisers do better out of them than the individual does." 

Age: 45. 
Status: Married to Robert Fripp, a guitarist in Nashville, Tennessee. The couple chose not to have children. 
Lives: Mainly in Chiswick, London. 
Career: Actress and 80s pop singer, she appeared in the second series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! 
Best investment: Made £100K on a flat in Wapping. 
Worst investment: Lost £14K on studio apartment in Chelsea. 
Money attitude: Never borrow - money should work for you not others. 

Daily Mirror
April 2004