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Law Student Bullied Out Of Uni After Becoming Porn Star

Law Student Bullied Out Of Uni After Becoming Porn Star

The 24-year-old says she had to drop out because of death threats from other students

Amelia Ward

Amelia Ward

Being skint at uni is a fact of life for most students. Some take up bar jobs, some work in shops... and some go into porn.

Well, the latter is what happened in Ella Hughes' case, at any rate. The 24-year-old from Southampton was all set for a career in law, studying at university, but dropped out of her course and now works in porn full-time.

She went on to be crowned the country's best porn performer in 2018 and has now discussed her career for Channel 5's Student Sex Workers, which airs tonight.

Ella has won awards for her performances.
Channel 5

Her career started during her first year at uni, aged just 19. Her student loan wasn't going far, but because of the hours she had to put into studying, she found it hard to get a part-time job.

She started off just posting fully-clothed photos of herself online, but then started putting up lingerie shots after being approached by a porn company. Later, she progressed on to becoming a spanking model (it's exactly what it sounds like) and then went into full videos.

Her first 20-minute clip got four million views - Ella looks back on the experience fondly.

"I loved it," she says. "It was the best 20 minutes of my life. In my head I realised, 'This is what I'm going to do, with my life.'"

But it wasn't long before she was recognised by people in her lectures. She said that at first she carried on going to class, but the hate came from social media, with a group of men sending her online abuse and death threats.

Ella left uni to pursue her porn career.
Instagram/hughesthatgirl

"People start calling you names, they start threatening you, I got a lot of hate, even though they were watching the videos," she explains in the Channel 5 documentary.

"To watch it and then judge somebody based on their actions, I think, is so snide."

Her teachers would also comment on her side-hustle, telling her that 'porn and law don't mix'. She finished her degree at the Open University instead.

"I feel like I was being crushed more and more," she tells the cameras.

"I decided for myself it wasn't the best environment to be in."

Ella finished her degree at the Open University.
Instagram/hughesthatgirl

Ella now does full porn, but says she knows it's safe, explaining she has an STI test every two weeks.

"You're not allowed on set without a health certificate, and obviously it'll always be negative, like nothing wrong," she says.

"I'm pretty sure people that I went to uni with will be shocked that I kept up with this career for so long."

She adds: "Not everybody is going to be OK with what I do, but it's just the way the world works."

The second episode of Student Sex Workers airs tonight on Channel 5 at 10pm.

Featured Image Credit: Channel 5

Topics: TV and Film