Caprice Bourret is an American lingerie model and TV personality who has become a successful businesswoman.
She developed much of her career in Britain where she is often referred to by her first name.
Born in Whittier, California, she moved here in 1996 to advance her modelling career.
Bourret later modelled for Wonderbra and has appeared on many magazine covers, including GQ, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Maxim and FHM. She also appeared nude in the March 2000 issue of Playboy magazine.
She has often been on British TV, most notably as a contestant in Celebrity Big Brother in 2005.
She is also successful entrepreneur and recently launched a lingerie range in Next.
Bourret, 36, lives with her boyfriend in Notting Hill, west London.
How much money do you have in your wallet?
I have £75. There are also a few dollars, euros and Australian dollars in there too. I travel around a lot, so I end up with lots of currency. I don't take out a lot from cashpoints - around £200 or so.
Do you have any credit cards?
I'm a credit card person, especially when it comes to my business. It helps me keep a record of all my spending. For personal stuff, I tend to use debit cards or cash. I have five credit cards. One of them is for personal use. The other four, which are with Barclays, are for my two businesses - By Caprice, the lingerie business, and Caprice Enterprises, the modelling business.
I have to pay for my clothing ranges - sometimes as much as £1.2m - 13 days after they leave China where they're made. But I don't get paid by the department stores for 30 to 60 days after they get the product. The credit cards help solve the problem.
Are you worried about recession?
Well it's a scary time. Maybe I'm being optimistic, but I think the worst of the crisis is over in the US. Besides, I'm planning to expand in some emerging markets - Dubai, China and India are all exciting economies if you take a long-term view.
I'm not so well-known in Dubai, but I plan to go over there on a publicity blitz for a couple of weeks.
Are you a saver or a spender?
A saver for sure. I'm obsessed with cash flow and I always like to have some set aside for a rainy day. I need to have liquidity or I lose my business. Ideally, if I made £10,000 profit, I'd probably only spend £2,000 - I'm a cheapo, especially right now.
My savings are in Barclays, but of course I'm hugely concerned about the economic crisis - I've taken out £100,000 from banks and placed it in a safe.
I used to put my savings into buying property but I don't think I'll be doing that now. I'm in the process of selling two properties. One is in South Africa and the other is in Florida. Keeping them has just become so complicated, and I want to concentrate on my business.
How much did you earn last year?
Total sales were in the region of £3.5m. The money is mostly from the business. The modelling is on the back burner. I have some very big costs, though. Last year, in one season, I paid out £400,000 and then £1.2m the following season. Every two months, I have to pay out for a new collection. Luckily, I came out with a good six-figure salary after all that.
Have you ever been hard up?
When I first started modelling, I was living on bagels and cream cheese because I couldn't afford anything. I was living in New York with a friend and I was 18 years old. We could just afford the rent, but we didn't have any money for furniture. There was a bed, but that was about it. If I had a good week modelling, I'd treat myself to a $7.50 Pad Thai.
I was living like that for a year and a half, before I got my first campaign with Calvin Klein and things started to shift a little bit.
Do you own a property?
I have three, but I'm selling two. The third, in Surrey, is a property I bought about six years ago for a little over £1m. Before the start of the credit crunch it was valued at around £2m. Not sure what it's worth now, but I guess it will be less. Luckily, I don't have a large mortgage on it. It has 6,500 sq ft of space and six bedrooms. It was built in the 1970s. I rent it out at the moment.
I bought the South African property outright. It was one of those impulse buys. I could rent it out if I wanted, but it's more of a headache. It's in the Bryanston area of Johannesburg, overlooking Sandton.
I bought it because I had business interests there with a clothing range in a store called Edgars.
For some reason, though, in South Africa people just don't obey the rules. If I get dodgy renters and I want to sell the house, it may be difficult to get them out. Running a business there is also getting more difficult.
I have it on the market now at a competitive price because I just want to get rid of it. I bought it about two years ago for $500,000 (£294,000) or so. It's on the market for about $580,000. If I don't manage to sell soon, I'm going to take a hit as house prices are falling.
The Florida property was also a disaster. I bought it for about $850,000 about two years ago. It's a big house with six bedrooms. But a month before I was going to sell, the market crashed. It's now worth around $630,000 and going even lower - it's still on the market. I rented it out over the two years, so I made some money.
What was your first job?
I was a hostess working at a posh restaurant in California. I would basically take people to their tables. I was 16, so I was juggling that with high school. I was paid $4.25 an hour. I remember the first time I got a tip. It was $5 and I was so excited I went home and showed my mum.
What is the most lucrative work you have ever done?
I did a modelling campaign two years ago which involved seven days of work. I was paid a million bucks for that. It was for an online internet game called Paradise Poker.
Do you invest in shares?
No. I don't invest in anything I don't understand. I don't trust other people to invest my money either because I've had bad experiences in the past. About 10 years ago I trusted my broker to invest something like $20,000 or so, and I ended up losing it all. I can't even remember what he put the money in.
I have invested in property, though, for a number of years and before the downturn it had done well. Over the past 10 years I have made several millions from property.
Property or pension?
Right now, definitely not property although the rental market is still good and you can snap up a bargain. The problem is, it's difficult to get a decent mortgage. Because of this, I would say pensions are better, although I haven't put money into mine for the past three years.
Are you financially better off than your parents?
My parents have been separated since I was four. I'm definitely better off than my dad. My mum is an interior designer and has done well from the property boom.
What's been your best investment in life?
My past property investments. I often doubled my money within a couple of years. With modelling, you tend to receive large lump sums, which you can either save or spend. I saved large chunks of it in property.
I used to buy a property, improve it and then wait for a couple of years, before selling it again. It meant I didn't get hit with capital gains tax. In the US, I would invest in new-builds, putting down 10% or so while it was being built and then selling it when the value of the equity rose.
What about the worst?
Just recently, I invested in a "second trust deed" with a property developer in the US - it's where you lend money to someone without having to go through all the formalities as you would with a bank.
In return, I was promised a high rate of interest - something like 12% to 15%. I lent $225,000 and lost it all when the sub-prime crisis hit and the guy's business collapsed.
Do you manage your own financial affairs?
I have an accountant, but I make all the final decisions myself.
What's the most extravagant thing you have bought?
The house in South Africa. When I saw it, I fell in love with it. I negotiated a crazy price and offered cash there and then. I don't know why I bought it, especially as I'm normally very cautious - I was trying to play the big shot, I guess. It was a complete moment of madness.
What aspect of our taxation system would you change?
Lower my damn taxes. I don't think I should be penalised for making more money than others. I work hard for it. Also, I'd make clothes and beauty products for models tax-exempt as they should be classed as business investments. My business is the way I look.
What is your money weakness?
Not enjoying my money enough. I'm way too cautious. I think I save more than I really need to - it's not like I can take the money to my grave. As a child, I remember my parents losing their money and ending up without anything. I never want to be in that position.
What is your financial priority?
To keep the business going.
Do you ever feel you'll settle down?
Yes, within the next four or five years, I'd like to settle down and have kids. I hope by that time I won't need to spend so much time on the business myself, so I can take a back seat.
And the most important thing you have learnt about money?
You have to balance out spending and savings - when you don't have a proper equilibrium, things can go horribly wrong.