A heiress who is used to enjoying the finer things in life said she has been ‘humbled’ by living as a rough sleeper for the latest season of Rich Kids Go Homeless.
Privately-educated showjumper Eleanor Daly, 19, from Cheshire, who is used to lavish holidays, Louis Vuitton bags and Rolexes, paid for by her pilot father, swapped her lavish lifestyle for the streets on the 5Star’s show, which starts tomorrow night at 9pm.
Before the experiment, Eleanor said she believes ‘begging’ is not ‘morally correct,’ but faced with the challenges of sleeping rough, and out of options, she quickly changed her opinion.
Speaking of her experience of homelessness on her Facebook account, Eleanor wrote that she was ‘humbled’ by the ‘once in a lifetime opportunity.
Eleanor Daly, 19, from Cheshire, swaps lavish holidays in high ends hotels and workingas a showjumper thanks to her parents’ generosity for surviving as a homeless person in London for the 5Star’s show, which is starting tomorrow night at 9pm (pictured in Southampton)
In the show, Eleanor (pictured begging) starts by saying she believes ‘begging’ is not ‘morally correct,’ but faced with the challenges of sleeping rough, and out of options, she’s had a taste of what extremities the homeless lifestyle can drive people to.
When she’s not travelling the world, Eleanor works with horses that were paid for by her self-made parents (pictured)
‘I was incredibly lucky to have been offered this once in a lifetime opportunity to experience life on the opposite spectrum in society, living rough on the streets of London for 3 nights and 4 days,’ she said.
‘When contemplating the idea, I thought about the positive aspects of the experience and how it may influence my perspective on my life in comparison to the life I will be living when on the streets,’ she added.
‘It was as raw as raw could be, no “cushioning” in living rough , a real hard hitter to how it REALLY is.
‘It’s an experience that I couldn’t speak highly enough about and to be so humbled was an honour.
Eleanor in front of her stables, with her pet dogs. The heiress spends most of her time with her horses
Enjoying the beach side in Hong Kong in September 2019. The heiress’s never had to worry about money
She went on to say the experience made her re-evaluate how she was spending her money.
‘With such a harsh reality check I came to think where was my money really going? This experience showed me exactly that and my perception was correct but “wow” is all I can say.
‘I admire how strong and whole hearted these people are, and very few people would give the them the time of day to have a little chat and make them feel a part of modern day society again. That’s what I found the most valuable in this venture.’
At the start of the show, Eleanor first explained she thought the homeless ‘could do a bit more to make their lives better,’ and that they should not beg, because ‘to expect people to just give you money for nothing in return is morally not correct.’
Eleanor pictured with her mother, a self-made woman who built her own wealth and has always been generous towards her daughter
Eleanor, pictured during a Singapore holiday in 2019, travels to high end hotels around the globe
The rich kid is more used to £400 Louis Vuitton clutch bags than sleeping bags, and owns a pricey Rolex and bespoke jewellery gifted to her by her parents.
Her father works as a pilot and showers her in gifts, such as a gold and diamond necklace, and pays for her holidays, where she travels in business class and stays in high-end hotels.
Passionate about horses, she spends her time riding the two stallions her parents got for her, so that she could become a showjumper, and admitted the horses didn’t ‘come cheap.’
She takes care of the horses at her mother’s country home in their private stables.
Eleanor has started her own business as a high end horse groom, who look after horses’ everyday needs.
She also reveas on the show that she’s been on holidays two Hong Kong three times in a year, twice to Bali and enjoyed other trips to Thailand.
At the start of thw show, she was dropped off on Oxford Street, where she was expected to make it on her own for four days and three nights.
First determined to get by ‘on knowledge’ rather than ‘money and food,’ Eleanor decides to befriend local homeless people, asking them for their advice.
The heiress is used to hop from one tropical paradise to the other (pictured on a night out in Bali in February 2019_
She was horrified to hear that a drunk men once urinated on a homeless woman while she was sleeping.
After finding her dinner from a generous Turkish restaurant located not too far from Tottenham Court Road, she settled for the night on the porch of a town house, hoping to find a hostel the next night.
But things went from bad to worse for the heiress as she embarked on her second day on the streets.
She first tried to get accommodation from the Salvation Army, but realised she couldn’t get any help without an appointment.
She then turned her attention to making money recycling plastic bottles she collected on the street.
Pictured jumping a fence with one of her horses, which Eleanor admits on the show, didn’t ‘come cheap’
Pictured: Eleanor begging on the show. Seeing the general public’s attitude towards the homeless reduces the heiress to tears
At the beginning of the show, Eleanor is convinced she’ll make it out without begging, but realises she was wrong after less than 24 hours on the streets (pictured begging)
However, she abandoned the plan after failing to find either bottles to recycle or a supermarket with a recycling scheme.
‘My motivation is getting to a zero quickly,’ she admitted. ‘I’m absolutely shattered, I think I’m going to try and go make some money by sitting on the street’.
Without any money to her name, she decided to beg, but after a few fruitless hours, she broke down in tears.
‘People just look at you thinking like you’re nothing,’ she cried.
‘I know for a fact when I’m out and about I wouldn’t have time to stop and talk to somebody, but now I’m that person who wants somebody to do that, it’s just horrible.’
Pictured enjoying the sunset in Bali in 2019. The heiress admits she’s used to the finer things and high end vacations
Thanks to her parent’s generosity, Eleanor doesn’t have to worry about money, but spending time on the streets proves a big reality check
Pictured: In Southampton, Eleanor is wearing a white gold and diamond necklace which was ordered by her parents for her
She then met with Donna, a homeless woman who’s been on the street on and off for ten years.
As the two settled down for the night, Donna told Eleanor she ‘doesn’t want to be sitting here like a circus freak’.
Donna was candid about her crack cocaine addiction and smoked in front of Eleanor, while telling her she has three children, whom she hasn’t seen for eight and a half years.
‘I think street living does strike people to drugs,’ Eleanor told the camera, ‘it’s blooming hard life here.’
She said of Donna: ‘She lives a very tough life, it’s a very scary place.’
The next day, Donna took Eleanor to a soup kitchen for breakfast, and admits to her she’s been jailed 23 times.
At the end of the experience, the heiress got a taxi home and reflected on what she saw during her time on the street.
‘Homelessness, I knew it was bad, but this is tragically bad,’ she said. ‘There’s always somebody looking at you the wrong way.
‘You’re trying to get money just to get your next meal and obviously, the drug use and alcohol use and just not feeling safe and not feeling motivated and having no drive, everything is just how to break somebody down.’
At the end of the programme, it was revealed that Eleanor is looking to volunteer in a homeless shelter following the filming of the episode.
She’s also tried to keep in touch with Donna, but has not been successful as of yet.
Rich Kids go Homeless airs on 5Star at 9pm tomorrow night.