This woman quit her law degree to become a porn star

​Like many mums and dads, Ella Hughes' parents wanted her to become a lawyer.

But we all know your parents' intentions might not match up to your own plans.

Hughes ran into the classic student problem whilst studying for her law degree: money.

In an interview with the BBC, the 22-year-old spoke of a struggle for independence that seems universal in your early 20s.

She said:

I was working so hard - in lectures from 9am to 7pm every day - that I couldn't find a way to earn money. 

I didn't really need the money - I had a student loan - but I hate depending on people and always wanted my own money.  

So Hughes got a job, but not the bar work you might expect.

It started out as fully-clothed, cash-in-hand modelling for amateur photographers. But that led to lingerie shoots and lingerie shoots led to porn companies asking if she'd consider working for them.

Hughes explained her initial reluctance:

I had some reservations, because I knew it would be hard to pursue a career as a lawyer if I went into porn, but I've always been quite sexually open.

I used to go to S&M parties, and I love sex, so in the end, I decided to just try it.

With a first video of four million views, it's easy to understand why the job stuck.

In fact, Hughes loved 'the whole process of shooting the video'. She said:

It didn't bother me that so many people had seen me having sex, because I'm used to that from the sex parties I've been to.

The sex only lasted 20 minutes, and it was so easy.

The more I did it, the more I fell in love with it. I started doing around 15 scenes each month. 

But balancing shooting porn with her law degree proved tricky.

My university professors eventually found out. 

They told me law and porn don't mix - that law is a degree for respectable people and I might not be seen that way with my profile as an online porn star.

I had to decide whether to stay or not.

I chose porn.

Though it wasn't an easy decision, it took simple maths to back it up.

Depending on your profile, you can earn between £500 to £1,000 for a shoot - and up to £2,000 in America.

I realised that by the time I finished my bar exams, I could have bought myself a house and car from doing porn.

The potential long-term pay-off of a six figure salary in law could not compete with the almost-guaranteed income of her porn work.

And Hughes' career is only growing.

I have more than 90,000 followers on Twitter and a similar number on Instagram.

All jobs have their downsides - and, for Hughes, it is the fortnightly STI checks and online trolling.

There is a lot of harassment and I get called a dirty slut on a daily basis.

When I first started, a group of boys told me how they wanted to kill me. 

They sent me photos of the knife and of  bin bags.

It was scary and I had to get the police involved, but I now have really thick skin.

She added:

I also currently have a legal case going on against a stalker.

He's been doing it for three years, and though I can't really go into details, it has put a dampener on things. 

It's been really frustrating and tiring, especially when my family were targeted. 

Hughes' family now know about her career - after someone messaged her grandmother over the internet - but 'they were all so supportive'.

She can't imagine herself going back to her law degree.

I think my life would have been really boring if I'd become a lawyer. 

Instead I've travelled the world and I've met so many unique people I never would have met outside the industry. 

HT BBC

More: Stop watching porn on your mobile. Immediately.