Rachael Webster was a high class call girl rubbing shoulders with criminals, gangsters and celebrities and earning £10,000 a month as a London escort. Today she’s a girl with a higher calling.
Mum-of-three Rachael Webster has a dramatic story to tell. From a fragmented childhood to being a tearaway teen; from glamorous boutiques to sinister men; and from depressive illnesses to becoming a bestselling author.
“My childhood was full of upheaval, we were constantly moving house. By the age of 16 I had attended 18 different schools,” she says. “But from a young age I always wanted to help others. I still remember as a seven-year-old saying, ‘I want to help people.’ I loved my younger sister and would do anything to protect her. Caring for her gave me an enormous sense of purpose.”
As a young woman in her early 20s, Rachael was a mother-of-one, full of ambition, but living in a council house, drinking heavily and desperately needing to make ends meet.
“I was curious about the world,” she says. “I craved excitement, I wanted independence. I rebelled against authority, rules, the system, the government – anybody who I perceived had an agenda to control me. But most of all I loved my daughter and would do anything to provide for her.”
That desire ‘to provide’ took her to unexpected and sometimes dangerous places. In 1994, Rachael answered an advert in her local paper saying ‘girls wanted’ and began a double life which led to her moving to London.
By day she was a single mum sending money home to her mother who was caring for her little girl; by night she was in the hazardous business of entertaining criminals, gangsters, celebrities and addicts in the crazy world of escorting. If she could stay alive, she could earn more than £10,000 a month.
“I simply didn’t have any boundaries or parameters and therefore kept putting myself in risky, life-threatening environments,” she recalls. “I was on the streets for 15 years – from the age of 22 until I was 37. I grew street smart and learned to live on my wits. I became wiser and was able to discern sinister characters from harmless ones The party lifestyle is one of extremes – the highs and the lows are sharply pronounced. One moment I’d be clad in glamorous designer dresses by Karen Millen or showcasing the latest luxury Donna Karen shoes thinking, ‘Yes! I’ve hit the big time!’ But the next moment I’d be blacking out somewhere because of my terrible drinking habit.
“Emotionally, I went to some very dark places… sometimes it felt like I was stood at the gateway to hell. Being showered with clothes and cash and expensive gifts from clients came at a high price. I didn’t belong to myself anymore. I was not in control of my own choices. Instead of being empowered, I felt less in control than ever.”
The influence of Rachael’s mother played a pivotal role in the formation of her values and worldview.
“My mother was a staunch Christian and constantly lived with an awareness of a higher power,” she says. “I loved her so much because even though she hated what I did, she allowed me to make my own choices. She never controlled, manipulated or made me feel guilty. She just had this huge, maternal concern for my welfare – which is why she kept on praying. I believe her prayers kept me alive in some very dangerous places.”
In 2010, Rachael’s mother died after a battle with cancer and in the ensuing grief Rachael herself fell ill with a swelling of the brain associated with the physical stress of bereavement.
“My mother’s death almost led to my own,” she recalls. “It was a frightening, desperate period of time.”
But there was light at the end of the tunnel. After her mother’s death, Rachael turned her back on escorting and became a Christian. Her life has completely turned around and she is now fulfilling her lifelong dream of helping others.
“During my illness I promised God that if I survived I would do something incredible with my life. I’m convinced that one of the reasons God has brought me back from the brink so many times is for my story to comfort and inspire abused children from other desperate backgrounds.”
Rachael has written an account of her life story which has already become a bestseller on Amazon.
‘The First Floor’ provides a gripping, honest insight into the life of an escort girl, documenting the drama, danger and fresh optimism that characterises Rachael’s demeanour.
“I want my book to be successful so I can find even more ways to impact the lives of troubled and abused children. I’m currently in talks with a film producer about documenting my story in order to reach as many people as I can.”
So how does this former call girl sum-up her new ‘calling’?
“I am a lover of human life: first, last and always. Everybody has a spirit and a soul and regardless of what they’ve done, everybody has a right to be loved. It is our duty to love others as we love ourselves.”