EastEnders legend Shane Richie uses furlough scheme to claim public cash despite receiving six-figure fee for show
EASTENDERS legend Shane Richie claimed cash from the Government’s furlough scheme, The Sun can reveal.
Official files released by HMRC reveal the I'm A Celeb star's business is among more than 600,000 firms to claim money.
It is not clear if Richie, 56, claimed the cash for himself or employees at his firm, Bluebelle Skye Productions.
According to Companies House he was appointed a co-director of the business in July alongside wife Christie.
It was struggling so much that it had only £4,165 in capital and before appearing on I’m A Celeb – for which he received a reported six figure fee – Richie admitted he was skint.
Speaking just before entering Gwrych Castle, Shane said: “I was going on tour, doing a TV series and panto but it all got cancelled in March. Now I am literally skint!
“You save for a rainy day but you don’t expect the rainy day to last eight months. Thankfully, I’ve been able to borrow money from mates, my family and the bank."
During his stint on the show Richie also confessed to camp-mates how he’d once pocketed £500,000 for 21 days work on his famous Daz TV adverts.
But he said the ads were a disaster.
He admitted: "It killed my career. I was Mr Saturday Night, Grease, the jobs were coming in as an actor, even dramas for the BBC. I did the job and my career, it stopped overnight.
"No one was calling as you become a TV personality."
It follows a string of handouts made to the super rich, with top model Cara Delevingne among them.
Her family used the Covid handout scheme to claim cash for their property empire.
Delevingne is Britain’s wealthiest supermodel and is a director of Harvey White Properties Ltd, alongside her dad Charles and her two older sisters, Poppy and Chloe.
Meanwhile, Alan Partridge star Steve Coogan furloughed the gardener and housekeeper at his £4million country pile.
Coogan is thought to be worth around £10million and employed the staff members full time before the crisis.
The Sun Online has approached Shane Richie's representatives for comment.
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