<p>Magnanti, the author behind the bestselling books detailing her secret life as a prostitute, has revealed her identity to ‘The Sunday Times’, claiming that anonymity had become “no fun”.<br /><br />Magnanti is a respected specialist in developmental neurotoxicology and cancer epidemiology in a hospital research group in Bristol.<br />Six years ago, in the final stages of her PhD thesis at Sheffield University, she ran out of money and turned to prostitution through a London escort agency, charging some £300 an hour. Already an experienced science blogger, she began writing about her experiences in a web diary that was adapted into books.<br /><br />“I was getting ready to submit my thesis. I saved up a bit of money. I thought, I’ll just move to London, because that’s where the jobs are, and I’ll see what happens. I could not find a professional job in my chosen field because I did not have my PhD yet.<br /><br />Money shortage<br /><br />“I didn’t have a lot of spare time on my hands because I was still making corrections and preparing for the viva; and I got through my savings a lot faster than I thought I would,” Magnanti told columnist ‘India Knight’.<br /><br />In London, she found an escort agency and started her secret life. “I did have another job at one point, as a computer programmer, but I kept up with my other work because it was so much more enjoyable.”<br /><br />There has been huge speculation about Belle’s real identity, including a theory that she was a well-known author because of the quality of her writing. <br />The blog and books were criticised for suggesting prostitution could be glamorous.<br />However, the scientist has no regrets about her 14 months as a prostitute.<br /><br />“I’ve felt worse about my writing than I ever have about sex for money. Anonymity had become ‘no fun’, however: ‘I couldn’t even go to my own book launch party,” she was quoted as saying. <br /></p>
<p>Magnanti, the author behind the bestselling books detailing her secret life as a prostitute, has revealed her identity to ‘The Sunday Times’, claiming that anonymity had become “no fun”.<br /><br />Magnanti is a respected specialist in developmental neurotoxicology and cancer epidemiology in a hospital research group in Bristol.<br />Six years ago, in the final stages of her PhD thesis at Sheffield University, she ran out of money and turned to prostitution through a London escort agency, charging some £300 an hour. Already an experienced science blogger, she began writing about her experiences in a web diary that was adapted into books.<br /><br />“I was getting ready to submit my thesis. I saved up a bit of money. I thought, I’ll just move to London, because that’s where the jobs are, and I’ll see what happens. I could not find a professional job in my chosen field because I did not have my PhD yet.<br /><br />Money shortage<br /><br />“I didn’t have a lot of spare time on my hands because I was still making corrections and preparing for the viva; and I got through my savings a lot faster than I thought I would,” Magnanti told columnist ‘India Knight’.<br /><br />In London, she found an escort agency and started her secret life. “I did have another job at one point, as a computer programmer, but I kept up with my other work because it was so much more enjoyable.”<br /><br />There has been huge speculation about Belle’s real identity, including a theory that she was a well-known author because of the quality of her writing. <br />The blog and books were criticised for suggesting prostitution could be glamorous.<br />However, the scientist has no regrets about her 14 months as a prostitute.<br /><br />“I’ve felt worse about my writing than I ever have about sex for money. Anonymity had become ‘no fun’, however: ‘I couldn’t even go to my own book launch party,” she was quoted as saying. <br /></p>