From Victoria Beckham to Elton John – the multimillionaire celebs whose kids get £1 pocket money & do after-school jobs
CELEBRITIES often have the means and money to give their children a free ride through life, providing everything from their first car to their first job.
But that doesn’t always mean they will go through with giving their kids the world.
While you might expect celebs such as Mel B and Elton John to spoil their little darlings silly, in some cases, it seems that parents in the spotlight often put more of an emphasis on making sure their little ones grow up to know the value of money.
Being born with a silver spoon may sound nice, but it also deprives a person of the euphoria felt when achieving something on their own.
It means that if you have everything you could ever want without working a day in your life, it could lead to disaster.
With this in mind, Fabulous takes a look at the stars who’ve made it their mission to prevent their kids from growing up spoiled – from Simon Cowell to Posh and Becks…
Gordon Ramsay: The No Bulls**t Parent
Celebrity chef Gordon is famous for his fiery temper and his no-nonsense attitude.
It appears this attitude has carried on into his personal life as the 56-year-old has a set of very strict rules for his children Megan, 25, Holly, 23, Jack, 23, Tilly, 21, and four year old Oscar.
He’s previously confessed that his kids won’t get any free handouts as he shared on US radio: “I’m firm, I’m fair and I will give you everything I’ve got to get you to the very top. And that’s it, no bulls**t.”
Gordon also previously told The Telegraph that while he and his wife Tana, 49, stick in first class, his kids all sit in economy.
He said: “I turn left with Tana and they turn right and I say to the chief stewardess: ‘Make sure those little f***ers don’t come anywhere near us, I want to sleep on this plane’.
“I worked my f***ing arse off to sit that close to the pilot and you appreciate it more when you’ve grafted for it.”
The Hell’s Kitchen star also has strict pocket money rules as he limits Megan’s university money to £100 a week, while his other kids get £50 each.
He explained this money has to pay for their phones and bus fares, too, which means they have to learn to budget.
“The earlier you give them that responsibility to save for their own trainers and jeans, the better,” he said.
Mel B: The Anti-Hollywood Parent
Mel B, who we all known as Scary Spice, has always been keen on raising responsible adults.
The singer, 48, who is mum to Phoenix, 24, Angel, 16, and 12-year-old Madison, has previously revealed that she limits the amount of money she gives them.
Speaking to Closer magazine, she explained: “My kids are loved – but not spoiled.
“They won’t end up being Hollywood children, down the shop using mum’s credit card.”
At the time of the interview, she had just got her daughter her own pay-as-you-go phone, explaining: “So if she does her chores and is good, she gets pocket money, so she can afford to top it up”.
She later told Daily Telegraph that her two daughters had one iPad to share between them growing up and they were only allowed one hour per day.
“You have to make it a special treat. They can’t walk into a shop and think they can pick whatever they want,” she said.
“For example, Maddie turned five and she got two things — She got a bike and a dolls’ house … You can’t overly spoil your kids”.
Simon Cowell: The Anti-Pushover Parent
Long before Simon and his fiancée Lauren Silverman, 46, welcomed their son Eric, the music mogul shared his plans on where he would leave his fortune.
He told the Mirror: “I’m going to leave my money to somebody. A charity, probably – kids and dogs. I don’t believe in passing on from one generation to another.”
And though it appears things may have changed a little since his nine-year-old son came into the picture, he still reportedly has strict ideas on what to do with his money.
According to his pal Bruno Tonioli, 67, who hosts Britain’s Got Talent with him, Simon is determined not to spoil his child.
“Simon is no pushover,” Bruno told the publication.
“Any money the baby gets will go to a trust account and he won’t be able to touch that until he is 21 years old and has a job.
“He’s not going to suddenly get a Lamborghini at 16 for no reason.”
Zoe Ball: The Cut-Off Parent
Zoe, 52, is one of the most famous faces at the BBC while her husband Norman Cook, 60, is none other than Fatboy Slim.
But they refuse to give their son Woody, 22, any handouts.
Speaking to the Mirror at the Attitude Awards back in 2021, Woody explained: “My parents make it clear that I was born into a privilege they have had to work their a** off to get.
“My parents have cut me off completely. They are like, ‘Do you want to be a trust fund child or do you want to work?’ I want to work, so I am now self-sufficient. I don’t have a student loan.
“I am doing it all by myself. The other day I couldn’t afford bread, but I’m working through it.”
On social media, he added: “I chose to be self sufficient early as living without the financial aid of my parents is as important to me as it is to pretty much anyone else; I had an opportunity so I took it! I’m not quite sure what the fuss is all about.”
Sir Elton John: The Stingy Pocket Money Parent
Having started his career as a spritely 17-year-old before finding fame in 1968 with his hit single Lady Samantha, singer Elton has amassed an incredible fortune.
The 76-year-old currently ranks as the 309th richest person in the UK on The Sunday Times Rich List 2023, with an estimated net worth of £450 million.
And though he and David Furnish, 60, provide a luxurious life for their children Zachary, 12, and Elijah, 10, they’re adamant about the rules they set in the household. Back in 2015, Elton told The Guardian: “I’m their dad, I’m famous, they live an extraordinary life.
“David and I talk about it all the time, we’re fully aware of the pitfalls that might happen.
“They are spoilt in the way they live and how they’re living, but they’re not spoilt when it comes to the rules they have to live by.”
He went on: “They get £3 pocket money, but £1 is for charity, £1 is for saving and £1 is for spending, they get three coins and put them in separate jars.”
Elton went on to explain they have to work for their coins by helping in the kitchen, garden and elsewhere.
And though he wants to leave his kids in a “very sound financial state,” he admitted: “But it’s terrible to give kids a silver spoon. It ruins their life.”
David and Victoria Beckham: The Nervous Parents
While you may expect Posh and Becks to share their immense wealth with their four kids, back in 2012, David, 48, told BBC children’s show Newsround that his kids have to earn their pocket money by doing work around the house.
“They have their chores. They have to put their plates in the dishwasher or make their bed in the morning – and if they don’t do it they don’t get their pocket money,” he explained.
He added: “Victoria’s the strict one to a point and after that I kind of take over. But we’re both kind of strict, we were brought up like that.”
And just two years later, Brooklyn was spotted working part-time at a coffee shop in west London to earn his own money.
In David and 49-year-old Victoria’s Netflix documentary Beckham, the former footballer confessed he worried about how his four children would turn out to be.
“We have tried to give our children the most normal upbringing as possible,” he said of Brooklyn, 24, Romeo, 21, Cruz, 18, and 12-year-old Harper.
“But you have got a dad who was England captain and a mum that was Posh Spice. And they could be little s***s and they are not.
“That’s why I say I am so proud of my children and I am so in awe of my children the way they have turned out.”
Sting: The No-Inheritance Parent
Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, more commonly known for his stage name Sting, has a huge estimated net worth of £493 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
And his 1983 song Every Breath You Take was listed as the eighth most profitable song of all time by The Richest, raking in thousands per year.
But with all his millions in the bank, the 72-year-old, won’t be leaving any of it to his kids, Joe, 46, Eliot, 33, Fuschia, 41, Mickey, 39, Jake, 38, and 27-year-old Giacamo.
Speaking to Mail on Sunday’s Event Magazine, he said: “With my children there is great wealth, success – a great shadow over them – so it’s no picnic at all being my child. I discuss that with them; it’s tough for them.
“I told them there won’t be much money left because we are spending it! We have a lot of commitments. What comes in we spend, and there isn’t much left.”
He went on to share that he had no intention of leaving them trust funds that are “albatrosses round their necks”.
Instead, he was insistent that they had to work and revealed that his kids rarely ask him for anything, which he said he respects and appreciates.
He added: “Obviously, if they were in trouble I would help them, but I’ve never really had to do that.”
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