CELEBRITIES are used to travelling in style and luxury, but some famous faces have more experience of Economy than First Class – and know just what it takes to get a plane off the ground.
From the Kardashians to members of the royal family, these celebrities all worked as cabin crew before they hit the big time.
Kris Jenner
Before becoming a world-famous reality TV star, Jenner spent one year as a flight attendant for American Airlines.
Alfred M. Garcia, Jenner’s ex-boyfriend and professional photographer told the Daily Mail that Jenner might have become a cabin crew member because: “maybe she could meet more people than she could working in a store.
“She was very friendly with people, and she was always looking out for the gold at the end of the rainbow.”
Jenner was in the air for one year before she married Robert Kardashian.
Carole Middleton
After brushing up on her French, Carole Middleton bagged a job as ground staff for British Airways.
She met Michael Middleton when he was also working as ground crew before going on to become a flight dispatcher, while Carole later became a cabin crew member.
The pair tied the knot and had three children together including The Princess of Wales, Catherine Middleton.
As a busy mum of three, Carole launched her own business selling decorations for parties, which made her millions.
Evangeline Lilly
Before Lilly landed her breakout role on TV show Lost, she worked as a flight attendant for Royal Airlines, but she doesn’t have fond memories of her role.
In 2007 in an interview with David Letterman, she said: “That job has no redeeming qualities. I didn’t like the people. I didn’t like the destinations. I didn’t like the recycled air, the c****y food. “
A few years later, she told Jay Leno that she’d been suffering from a bad case of wind on one flight as well as an awful passenger.
Lilly’s revenge food was best served cold.
“This guy got under my skin to the point that finally I decided to save it all up, and when I was walking past him and when I got to row 48… I let it rip, right in his face.”
Later, Lilly found fame on the small screen, and now plays Hope Van Dyne in the Marvel Cinematic’s Universe Ant Man.
Brian Dowling
Brian Dowling found fame after he won the second series of Big Brother.
Before his stint on the telly, Brian was a member of cabin crew for Ryanair.
In a chat on Instagram with The Only Way Is Essex star Bobby Norris, Brian recalled about his time as a flight attendant: “It was so much fun but looking back on it now, the public can be very very testing at times.”
He was often spat at, slapped, bitten and even groped.
He said: “I remember one day I had a physical altercation with a passenger, like a physical fight with a woman. We actually fell on the ground, we were rolling around. It was like Dynasty. It was so camp.”
Since winning Big Brother, Brian has won Ultimate Big Brother, competed on Dancing with the Stars and provided narration for the Real Housewives franchise.
Laura Anderson
Laura finished as a runner-up on the 2018 series of Love Island, but before entering the villa, Laura was a cabin crew member for Emirates.
She worked as crew for 10 years and met celebrities like Channing Tatum and rapper Example.
Laura, 33, loved taking to the skies but often encountered strange scenarios while dealing with some of the more unique personalities on board.
But one of the easier duties she faced was handling any situations where passengers were caught getting jiggy with it.
The Scots stunner, who finished runner-up on the 2018 series of Love Island, says: “The crew don’t care. We’re not the fun police. Or the sex police.
“It’s not really a safety issue unless there’s turbulence.In Emirates’ toilets it’s so easy to hide as there’s like six of them.
“I’ve seen people getting jiggy in their suites. There’s doors to get in first.“But you can see over the top.”
Laura now lives in Dubai and is set to appear on Celebs Go Dating.
Lucinda Strafford
Before becoming an influencer and contestant on sesaon 7 of Love Island, Lucinda worked as a member of cabin crew for British Airways.
But her time in the skies was tough, she told the Daily Star: “I remember finding this very intense, and worried that I would get kicked off the course if I didn’t pass certain tests.”
“You get no freebies, and no extra tips. I did like working in business class, but depending on how big that cabin was on the aircraft, it could actually be more work than economy.”
When Lucinda was made redundant, she decided to hang up her flying wings for good.
She’s now an influencer who spends her time soaking in the sun abroad whenever she can.
