FIGHTING to feed her family on just £71 a week, Tash Burrows grabbed the chance to star in a life swap TV show with both hands.
But after a week of living in luxury on Rich House, Poor House, the mum-of-two from Bristol was back to her hand-to-mouth existence – and so stressed by her cash-strapped situation she went DEAF.
The Burrows outside their home before the TV swap[/caption]
Tash, Ant and their two children had a glam photo shoot during their ‘rich’ week[/caption]
In an emotional episode of Channel 5’s show in 2022, wealthy mum Andrea Callanan offered Tash help with a business plan as well as coaching on their ‘mindsets.’
Sadly, Tash reveals the show itself didn’t manage to help her in the way she had anticipated.
But what has happened since has been extraordinary, with Tash now sending her daughter, Kayla, 16, to prom in a Lamborghini and her dream dress.
Tash tells The Sun: “My financial position didn’t change or grow from the show – it didn’t impact my life like that, I turned myself around.
“I have done it all myself, the show was a good experience but on the whole it was me doing it myself.
“If I am honest, what saved me was pole dancing.”
Tash used her pole dancing hobby to start a business, empower women and improve her mental health.
The sport helped her to come off antidepressants and combat her family’s money troubles, even while losing her hearing.
Lifestyle switch
In 2022 Tash was living on £71 pounds a week in terrace house with her partner Ant and two children, Tate, now nine, and Kayla. They had no savings or surplus money after paying bills.
The popular show saw Tash and Ant swap houses and lifestyles with wealthy couple Andrea and Matt Callanan from Cardiff.
The Burrows family took part in Rich House, Poor House in 2022[/caption]
The family went on a speedboat as part of the show[/caption]
Tash took her love of pole dancing to the next level[/caption]
The pair moved from their terraced house in Bristol to a large five-bedroom Victorian home and were given a whopping £1,200 budget per week.
Over the seven day swap, the family enjoyed speedboat trips, lobster dinners and a glam photo shoot.
But before and after the show proved an extremely tough time for the family, especially when Tash lost her hearing in October 2022, shortly after the episode aired.
Tash said: “The anxiety when you are living on £71 a week is out of this world.
“We couldn’t provide our children with the nice things they wanted.
“It was horrendous and I was on antidepressants because I was quite depressed.
“When I lost my hearing that was quite troublesome for me and Ant, we were so worried.
“We had nothing and it was such a tough time and Christmas was a nightmare.”
While the show did little to improve her financial situation, and she didn’t use the mindset package she was offered by Andrea, she says pole dancing proved to be the catalyst she needed to turn her life around.
The Callanans offered to help the couple with business plans[/caption]
Bitter blows
Tash’s love for pole dancing started after she used it to combat post-natal depression in 2018.
In a bid to bring in some more money in 2022, Tash started her own pole dancing business in Bristol with a partner.
Just months after her new endeavour, her shoulders collapsed.
But worse was to come, as Tash woke up three months and found she had gone deaf after the stress of running a business and trying to teach with an injury triggered an auto-immune disease.
Tash said: “I was teaching injured for about 18 months, both my shoulders had collapsed and then in October, due to the stress of everything I lost my hearing.
“I now wear hearing aids because of what happened and I still taught pole the whole time to try and keep my business and family afloat.”
It was an absolute nightmare.
Tash Burrows
The mum-of-two then lost her business partner and went solo, driven by the impact she was having on the women who were taking her pole dancing classes.
Yet the money was still not flowing in and she found it nearly impossible to cope .
Tash said: “I financially couldn’t sustain it. I lost over a grand trying to keep my business going.
“I was supporting the whole family at the time and it was a strain on myself and my family relationships.
“But I tried so hard and I learnt so much.”
Tash had to borrow money to rent poles from a studio which she shared with a karate club in Bristol.
Tash said: “I came from nothing and I felt like I was constantly chasing my tale when running my business.”
Nevertheless, Tash built an incredible reputation in the pole dancing community and tried to encourage women to use pole dancing as a way to forget their problems.
Her clients are all part of a WhatsApp group where nearly 100 women bond over their love for dancing and embracing their femininity.
Tash took to social media to continue her trail-blazing empowerment of women through pole dancing and she now runs a successful TikTok account.
It is beautiful the feedback I receive from the women I teach and that keeps me going
Tash Burrows
Tash laughed: “I am very strong, I could rugby tackle my man but pole also makes me feel so feminine.
“It is beautiful the feedback I receive from the women I teach and that keeps me going.
“They have sent me letters and messages, it is such a beautiful thing.
Nearly 100 women became a part of Tash’s pole dancing community[/caption]
Tash revealed that pole dancing was what helped her change her mindset towards her money problems[/caption]
“I’ve come across women who have had bad relationships and I have watched them thrive and grow through my classes.
“I know I can help anyone and I want to show them everything they can achieve.
“There is a sense of belonging in my classes and a community of people who don’t judge.
“I felt very isolated before pole dancing.”
Surprise change
While Rich House, Poor House didn’t help her cashflow, it changed Tash’s family life in an unexpected way.
The show’s chaperone, Serena, completely transformed her daughter, Kayla’s, outlook and attitude towards life.
Tash said: “My daughter used to be so reserved and since the show, after Kayla met Serena, she just switched.
“The chaperone changed her life, she is now smashing school and has spread her wings and is thriving.
“She’s grown so beautifully, she was so inward and since meeting Serena, she’s changed.
“Serena was incredible, she coxed Kayla out of her shell.”
Tash emotionally explained how her daughter is now preparing to go to an academic college in September and she has just bought her prom dress.
Daughter Kayla has grown in confidence[/caption]
Job joy
After her mental health improved, Tash took on a teaching job, alongside her pole, and helps the family-of-four in ways she never could before. She also has a clothing brand on Redbubble.com.
Tash said: “My life started to change in November last year. We are no longer in debt and we remortgaged our house. We have even got a beautiful new bathroom.
“The show was a fantastic experience but it was me who turned my life around through working so hard.
“I now take two days a week to teach pole, I closed the business down and just started to teach on the side.
“Kayla is even going to prom in a Lamborghini.”
Tash and Ant now have enough money for Alton Towers and are saving up for Disney World in America.
“My life feels in a really good place.” she says. “I know I had to go through the bad side of it and I am now really settled.”
