'I made more money stripping than waitressing'...These stars were sex workers before they were famous

Before their rise to the top, these famous Hollywood stars often struggled to make ends meet and made money via the sex industry. From prostitutes to strippers…find out which famous names were sex workers before they became celebrities.

The ‘Magic Mike’ star worked as a nightclub stripper before becoming a successful movie star and the 2012 film was inspired by Channing's experiences. He recalled: "On a good night, [I made] 150 bucks. On a bad night, 70 bucks - even 50 at times."

Brad Pitt was voted Sexiest Man Alive in 1995 by People magazine and has always got by on his good looks. During his time at the University of Missouri, Pitt was a dancer at an all-male club called the Dancing Bares that would dance and strip for female students on their birthdays.

The ‘Godfather’ star is a household name in Hollywood. But he was forced to make a living from his boy before becoming a movie star. The struggling actor lived in Sicily at the time and had no choice but to trade sex for food and shelter. He said: “At 20, I lived in Sicily by selling the only asset I had—my body. An older woman traded food and housing in return for sex.”

She was known as a Hollywood temptress in the 90s for her role in the 1997 erotic thriller ‘Wild Things’. She rose to “Bond Girl” status in 1999 in 'The World Is Not Enough’. But before appearing on camera, the former wife of Charlie Sheen reportedly worked as a high end escort for Heidi Fleiss’ elite escort service, which was used by Sheen. However, she denied the claims in a 2011 interview.

The former ‘Baywatch’ star started her career off on the pole as a stripper in the early 90s. The ‘Scary Movie’ star didn't forget her roots as she released her very own brand of stripper poles and pole fitness exercise videos after becoming famous.

The British comedian, actor and ex-husband of Katy Perry had a rough childhood. He developed bulimia and was also a victim of sexual abuse. Brand revealed in his autobiography that his father forced him to lose his virginity by taking him to Hong Kong and making him pick out a prostitute. Battling inner demons, Brand turned to both sex and illegal substances to cope.

The ‘Riverdale’ star was a stripper before he landed his big break. His wife Kelly Ripa dished the dirt on her husband’s dancing days. She said: “A lot of hot guys in Hollywood have done that. "He’s gorgeous, [and] looking to break into show business. So, he started off as a roadie to a group of these guys, and then they talked him into stripping.”

Before becoming a pop sensation Lady Gaga was struggling to make ends meet so took a job as a burlesque dancer. She said: "I made more money stripping than waitressing. "I didn't show too much — I was a burlesque dancer. Because my family's European, for me it wasn't that weird and I didn't do anything super seedy — although my dad didn't think so."

The Emmy award winner has no shame in admitting that she used to be a prostitute to put food on the table and advocates rights for sex workers. She said: "Prostitution is a business. "It's not about wanton women, from medieval times. It's a f****** way to make money."

Rapper Cardi B worked as a stripper and claims it was positive for her in many ways. She said: "It really saved me from a lot of things.” Having been kicked out of her home, Cardi was in a desperate situation and needed the money to find somewhere to stay. She said: "I just wanted enough money to rent a room. "That's how desperate I was to get the f*** out of the situation I was in."