I Refuse To Date Poor Men

Anna Bey, 33, has become accustomed to a certain lifestyle.

- Kara O'Neill

As I lay on my bed, flicking through the latest celeb magazine, I couldn’t help but feel jealous. Seeing their amazing lives played out on the glossy pages in front of me was too much to bear. Red-carpet events, exclusive parties… it all looked so glamorous.

‘My normal life is so boring in comparison,’ I thought to myself miserably. Working part-time as a waitress while studying for a degree in Italian didn’t exactly mean I was rubbing shoulders with A-list celebs.

On a Saturday night you were more likely to find me pulling pints and wiping tables than sipping on cocktails at a club. Truth was, I’d been bored for quite some time.

I needed a new adventure. ‘I’m going to move to Italy!’ I told my mum a few days later. It made sense – I was studying the language, after all. I’d always fancied immersing myself in Italian culture. It seemed so sophisticated and elegant.

I transferred my degree to an Italian university and made the move to Rome, where I got myself a small studio flat. To keep the money coming in, I applied for jobs as a hostess at restaurants and clubs in the city.

Through my work, I quickly learnt about the best places to party and the celebrity hotspots. I made friends with colleagues and on our nights off, thanks to our connections, we’d get entry into all the most exclusive clubs. It was like another world.