Joey Essex is pushing into boxing and film just as fresh company paperwork shows how deep his old business hole really is.
According to new figures reported by The Sun on Friday, liabilities linked to the TOWIE star's collapsed performing arts firm have climbed by about £200,000 more than previously understood and now stand at £1.4 million. The accounts relate to Joey Essex Management Ltd, which is in liquidation. HMRC has also tacked nearly £100,000 in interest onto the outstanding bill, and liquidators are still working out the final total.
The 36-year-old signed documents in 2024 promising to repay the debts within a year. The latest paperwork suggests that pledge is far from settled, with the tax authority warning its claim could rise again.
Essex is not treating the setback as a full stop. After years as one of British reality TV's most familiar faces -- TOWIE, Celebrity Big Brother, I'm a Celebrity, Dancing On Ice, Cooking With The Stars, Celebrity MasterChef and a 2024 Love Island bombshell run -- he has been trying to show a tougher, more serious side.
Boxing is the centerpiece of that reboot. Fresh off his first MisFits fight, he told The Sun he felt "great" and "very proud," joking there was not a scratch on him and that he looked even better coming out of the ring. He confirmed he has "signed a big fight deal" and expects to return soon, even if the opponent is still unknown.
"I feel like this is a perfect journey for me to show a serious side to me," he told SunSport of the debut. "I'm not just some dimwit on television."
Acting is the other bet. A source told The Sun Essex has landed his first lead film role opposite hardman veteran Geoff Bell in a gritty drama -- a sharp turn from the Essex party-boy brand that made him famous. Insiders framed the gig as proof he has been grafting to step outside reality TV, and as a follow-up to the doubters he says he quieted with that first fight win.
None of it erases the liquidators or the tax bill. But the picture Friday is clear: the numbers on Joey Essex Management Ltd keep getting heavier, and Essex is answering with another fight date and a first serious movie credit.
Source: The Sun
