Megan Barton-Hanson admits her mother broke down in tears upon learning of her past job as a stripper, but insists the provocative occupation is no different to marrying for money. 

The one-time Love Island contestant formerly worked as an exotic dancer at Southend strip club Sunset before finding fame on the hugely popular ITV2 show, where she embarked on an ultimately doomed romance with Wes Nelson. 

But Megan, 24 - who still manages a lucrative subscription based OnlyFans account - admits her mum was alarmed after discovering she had turned to pole-dancing, because of the tawdry reputation associated with the industry. 

Writing in her column for Vice, she explained: 'If I’d started stripping in the era when my parents were young, I would have had a much harder time than I do now, but that stigma is still there to a degree.

'When I told my mum I was dancing, she cried. I was like, why are you crying? And it turned out it wasn't because she was upset that I was dancing, it was because of the reputation that it would give me. 

'She thought it was going to ruin my life and make people judge me.' 

She added: 'There's a common assumption that all women are victims who need to be “rescued” from the sex industry, but that’s not true. 

'I’ve had partners say things like “I wish I knew you when you were too young to be stripping”... like, I’m a very headstrong stubborn person. My mum cried when I told her I was stripping and that wasn't going to stop me!' 

While no longer active in the industry, Megan remains supportive of exotic dancers and insists stripping is comparative to marrying for money - in particular women who pursue wealthy footballers. 

Using model Abbey Clancy's marriage to former England striker Peter Crouch as an example, she said: 'The way I see it, marrying for money is exactly the same as stripping or escorting. 

'The only difference is that people in the sex industry can pick and choose how long they do that for. They get in, get out, make their money and then fall in love for falling in love. 

'I don’t think there’s any difference between what I’ve done and Abbey Clancy, but I think it's sad how there’s a respect for women like Clancy in a way, and there's just none for sex workers.' 

Megan now earns a substantial income through OnlyFans, where collaborations with the likes of Lottie Moss has helped her rake in an estimated £800,000 a month. 

Speaking to The Sun in 2020, she insisted the website has given her a sense of empowerment and given her the finances to buy her dream home. 

She said: 'Doing the site has definitely helped me buy my dream house and it’s given me all the money for new furniture.

'Loads of girls message me and ask for advice. I love how much you can control what you post on it.' 

She added: 'I can take the power back. The money side is great and amazing, but it’s also self indulgent. I love getting my hair and make-up done.'