The unglamorous reality behind ‘£1m-a-year’ betting influencer’s boasts… and why his life in Hull is VERY different to the one he depicts on social media

Glance at ‘racing tipster’ Scott Shearsmith’s social media accounts and you’ll find him swigging from a bottle of bubbly on a yacht or fanning out banknotes like Harry Enfield’s iconic 1980s buffoon Loadsamoney. 

Shearsmith, 36, boasts to his 120,000 social media followers of living a luxury lifestyle, claiming he rakes in up to £1 million annually.

He operates a subscription model where people pay between £20.39 and £63.59 for horse racing tips. Those who pay for the premium package are sent ‘voice notes, thoughts and insights’.

Shearsmith claims to have sponsored more than 70 horses and held ’15 significant racehorse shares’.

He flaunts his wealth with a £150,000 Mercedes-Benz G-Class Wagon and designer clothes, and until recently, dated reality star Jordi Leigh from ITV2’s Bad Boyfriends.

But despite his claims, MailOnline can now reveal he actually lives in a modest flat on a housing estate in Hull – and recently said he was so strapped for cash that he couldn’t afford a takeaway. 

He rents a £125,000, two-bedroom coach house on a new-build estate in Hull, far removed from the mansions and supercars in his Instagram reels.

And former neighbours told of their astonishment at his online persona.

Scott Shearsmith, 36, boasts a lavish lifestyle including flaunting a leased £150,000 Mercedes-Benz G-Class Wagon (pictured) but recently claimed he was so strapped for cash he couldn’t even afford a takeaway

Shearsmith boasts to his 120,000 social media followers of living a luxury lifestyle, claiming he rakes in up to £1 million annually from horse racing tips and viral TikToks

But behind the social media glitz, Shearsmith lives a very ordinary life, despite the extraordinary claims he makes for his racing tips business

He recently dated reality star Jordi Leigh from ITV2 ‘s Olivia Attwood’s Bad Boyfriends (pictured together)

The influencer rents a £125,000, two-bedroom coach house on a new-build estate in Hull, described by estate agents as ‘ideal for first-time buyers’ (pictured)

Shearsmith’s ex-partner, Danielle Cotterell is also said to have seen little sign of his claimed millionaire lifestyle.

One friend revealed: ‘Danielle’s been going through divorce proceedings and Scott claimed he was apparently skint.

‘So I don’t know where he’s getting one million quid a year from. She’d be entitled to half of it, if that were true. And I know for a fact she’s not getting that from him.

‘At the minute, he rents a basic apartment and his luxury car is just leased, not owned. It’s just a show. He doesn’t look broke, but in real life he says he is.’ 

Shearsmith, who grew up on Bransholme, Europe’s largest council estate, says he clawed his way up from poverty to internet stardom after quitting his job as a council joiner to pursue social media and modelling.

‘I worked hard to be where I am,’ he said in a recent interview with The Sun. ‘I grew up on one of the biggest estates and it was a rough area and I went to a rough school. I had to look after myself otherwise you would get bullied.’

A former neighbour of Shearsmith’s said ‘it’s just a big, fake lifestyle’

However, the friend told MailOnline: ‘I get that on social media, people act, and that’s part of what he does.

‘But he never used to act like this. Now he’s sat in his car waving around wads of money – it’s not a good look. Danielle knows he hasn’t got money stashed away. She knows it’s all just a show.

‘He just thinks people are jealous. But these are people that have known him since he was younger.

‘Everyone is surprised by it and it’s s**t really.’

Shearsmith claims to have turned his life around by selling horse racing tips online, building a following and hobnobbing with reality stars such as Wayne Lineker, brother of Gary, and Geordie Shore’s Scotty T.

He appeared to find love with influencer Jordi Leigh, 29, with the pair getting matching tattoos just a month into their whirlwind romance.

But MailOnline understands that the couple have now split.

A former neighbour also said he did not believe any of Shearsmith’s purported riches.

He said: ‘If you were really making that kind of money, would you still be living around here?

‘From the outside, it’s just a big, fake lifestyle.

‘There’s absolutely no way I would take horse racing tips from him. I worry about people giving him their money. All it takes is someone vulnerable to look at him and think “this could be my lucky day”.

‘Pump load of money in and the next minute, their whole life savings have gone.’

A racing tipster with knowledge of Shearsmith has also cast doubt on his tipster credentials.

He said: ‘People have called him out due to his losses and the so-called insiders he has communication with.

‘Losses happen, nobody has a magic wand. But I think the so-called “insider information” is fabricated.

‘While it does happen with jockeys giving information, I don’t think he gets it and uses it to get more subscribers. Do I believe he is a good tipster? I would say no.

‘If you are having to sell your tips to make money, then you are not a good tipster.’

Another person with close knowledge of Shearsmith claimed: ‘When he’s showing off his winnings at the horses, you’ve got to bear in mind how much he bet in the first place. 

The home the influencer rents includes an open-plan kitchen living room with grey furniture and white walls 

In previous interviews he said: ‘I worked hard to be where I am. I grew up on one of the biggest estates and it was a rough area and I went to a rough school. I had to look after myself otherwise you would get bullied’ 

Far from the mansions and supercars in his Instagram reels, Shearsmith’s modest home, complete with a small garden and garage, sits on a sprawling estate near retail parks and local amenities 

But several of those subscribers giving their feedback mention a distinctly dodgy aspect of Shearsmith’s business strategy – allegedly offering inducements, in the form of reduced subscriptions, to subscribers in return for posting glowing five-star reviews

‘He bets big. A £30,000 bet to win £5,000 back. Then he’ll show the £5,000.

‘Gambling is an addiction for people, isn’t it? And the people thinking he earns that much money are going to be spending their life savings on trying to be him. I don’t know why he goes that far.’

In an interview with MailOnline, Shearsmith claimed he makes ‘around £800,000 to £1 million a year’.

He said: ‘I used to dream of stuff like that and look at other people thinking, can this really happen?’ 

Shearsmith also accused his critics of being ‘jealous hometown haters’.

He said: ‘I get hundreds of comments from people saying horrible things such as that I don’t know horse betting, calling me a joke or mocking my hair – they’re clearly just jealous and trying to tear me down.’

Shearsmith’s ex-partner, Danielle Cotterell (pictured) is said to have seen little sign of his claimed millionaire lifestyle

There’s no way to verify how many members actually do hand over their hard-won cash to Shearsmith’s Indication Racing, as no such company with that name is currently registered at Companies House.

A quick glance at Indication Racing’s reviews on Trust Pilot suggest a respectable four stars out of five rating.

However, look a little more closely and the reviews nearly all fall into two very different camps – one star or five stars.

The negative reviews are excoriating: ‘Total mug and lying scumbag service,’ says one.

‘John’ posted: ‘He just tips the favourite horses and he can’t even do that, Scott doesn’t have a clue what he’s on about and he’s just scamming people.’

Back at Companies House, there’s no shortage of companies registered in Shearsmith’s name, but most are long-since dissolved and were very short-lived.

In most cases, Shearsmith’s involvement as a director began and finished in 2020, when the economy was hit by the pandemic lockdown – and taxpayer-funded grants and loans were widely available for businesses affected by the shuttered economy.

He actually has one solvent company – Scott Shearsmith Limited, which had reserves of £23,400 for the year to Jan 2025 compared to £49,316 the previous year, according to its accounts.

The company, described as an ‘Advertising Agency’, had assets of £71,500 including cash of £29,143, this was offset by creditors owed £46,784.

The previous year it had assets of £120,600, which included cash of £77,052.

Shearsmith claims to have turned his life around by selling horse racing tips online, building a following and hobnobbing with reality stars such as Wayne Lineker and Geordie Shore’s Scotty T

He appeared to find love with influencer Jordi Leigh, 29, (pictured) with the pair getting matching tattoos just a month into their whirlwind romance

Former neighbours have revealed of their astonishment at his online claims, revealing how Shearsmith lives an humdrum lifestyle and works out at the local David Lloyd gym

Company accounts don’t always tell the full story, and it’s possible that Indication Racing isn’t part of Scott Shearsmith Ltd, but that raises the question of where all the subscription money is being channelled – and where is Scott getting that £1 million a year he claims?

Scott Shearsmith Ltd is certainly solvent but is not awash with money. There’s only a single employee – Scott himself.

He has held five other directorships, with four of those companies (all described as advertising agencies) now dissolved without filing any financial information.

Shearsmith was a director for Proven Form Limited for four months from January to April 2020 before it was dissolved in 2021.

The Sports Analysts Limited was dissolved in May 2022 and he was director for a month between March and April 2020.

Scott Shearsmith Car Sales was set up in August 2019 but closed in November 2020, without filing accounts.

S&G Services (Hull) Limited was set up in September 2021 and dissolved in June 2022.

That left only one other company called TR Guru, which still exists, but has never filed accounts. Shearsmith was a director for four months from Jan 2020 to April 2020.

When approached by MailOnline, Shearsmith denied ever stating he was a millionaire.

He said his words had been taken out of context and that his business turned over around £800,000 a year.

Shearsmith said: ‘I’ve never said I’m a millionaire. I’ve never once publicly said that.

‘I’ve never claimed that, so I don’t know where that’s coming from.

‘I turn over £800,000 on average a year.

‘That is not profit. And then you’ve got tax.

‘You’ve got VAT to pay. I do everything legitimately.’

Shearsmith said he paid himself last year around £140,000, down from £180,000 the previous year.

He added: ‘I’m not making out like I’m wealthy. Just because I’m living a lifestyle doesn’t mean I’m wealthy.

‘I get a very good income, I’m doing very well for myself, but people can make out what they want.’

Shearsmith denied his online act was ‘fake’ insisting he had thousands of happy customers through his tipping platform.

He added: ‘I’d never say a horse is definitely going to win, because nothing is certain in this game. I always say that every single day. No horse is certain.

‘I can’t be more respectful as a person and honest as a tipster.

‘I’m one of the top-end ones. I’ve got people’s best interests. But you’re still going to get haters no matter what.

‘Because they’re jealous that you’re living this lifestyle, or you’re getting paid for doing tips. I’ve worked hard for six years to get where I am.’

He said the £1,200 paid in child maintenance each month was ‘definitely not minimal’ and said that his G-wagon motor was paid on a contract plan, not leased.