A star of The Chase has revealed how he is ‘sitting pretty’ with his earnings from the ITV game show (Picture:Rex/ Shutterstock)
The Chase star Shaun Wallace has revealed he is ‘earning about 10 times more’ as a TV star than when he was working as a barrister.
The 64-year-old joined the ITV game show in 2009, where he is known as ‘The Dark Destroyer’.
Before appearing on screens, Shaun graduated with a Law BA in 1983 and was called to the Bar the following year.
But in 2004 he became a champion on the BBC quiz show Mastermind, with his specialist subject being FA Cup Finals.
He also appeared as a finalist on the first season of Are You an Egghead?.
The TV star and lawyer has now said his ‘finances and whole life’ have changed since his first TV appearance 20 years ago.
Shaun Wallace has appeared on the ITV show since 2009 (Picture: ITV/ Rex/ Shutterstock)
‘A lot. That’s all I’ll say. How many zeros? Well into six-zero territory and my earnings have increased massively since I’ve started working in TV,’ he told The Times when asked how much he earned.
‘I got paid well as a barrister but I’m now earning about ten times the amount I was before. I still practise, though, so I have a dual income.
‘Probably 70% of my income comes from my TV work and 30% from the legal side. Everything changed when I won Mastermind in 2004. Not just my finances, my whole life.’
When asked about the items he most enjoyed splurging on, Shaun revealed he liked to invest in shoes and had spent about £50,000 on pairs that were ‘all handmade’.
Speaking about his approach to money, Shaun went on to say he didn’t have ‘any bad financial habits’ as he didn’t gamble and had given up smoking.
He is also now focusing on looking after his immediate family, including buying his mother a house.
Reflecting on how he is now ‘far, far better off financially’ Shaun said he is now ‘sitting pretty’ as he ‘treated money with respect and wasn’t wasteful with it’.
He is now earning ‘about 10 times more’ than he was as a barrister (Picture: ITV/ Rex/ Shutterstock)
Despite the wealth he’s amassed through TV projects, Shaun previously said it’s unlikely we will see him on Strictly or I’m A Celebrity.
‘I do get the offers but I’m not a reality type of guy. I still practise as a barrister and there is a limit to what I will do,’ he told the Daily Star in 2022.
‘The last reality-type challenge I did was Don’t Rock The Boat, and that was a physical challenge where myself and seven other celebs rowed the length of Britain.
‘I’ll do something like that, but any other type of reality show is not really for me.’
The Chase is streaming on ITVX.
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