Cheshire-based Rosalind Darlington took a sabbatical from her home-grown floristry business to become a contestant on the latest series of the Channel 4 reality show Married at First Sight (MAFS).
When the series was broadcast last month, she had just 400 followers on Instagram, but today that figure has reached 180,000 and rising.
She is still friends with her show “husband” Thomas Kriaras, but the couple are no longer romantically involved.
WHAT’S IN YOUR WALLET?
I like to have a bit of cash on me; maybe a tenner or some random change in random pockets, but I do most things on my phone.
At the end of every month, I have a spreadsheet that calculates house, bills, phone, dog, so I can be sure I’m not overspending.
ARE YOU FLASHY OR FRUGAL?
Frugal. I’m tight. I never overspend. I’m always quite strict with my budget which I get from my dad as he’s quite stingy, but I wouldn’t be the last to the bar if I was meeting friends. I always pay my way. I love giving people things but only when I know I’ve got the money for it although since MAFS, I’ve been more financially spontaneous. This month I spent £600 on clothes.
DO YOU OWN A PROPERTY?
I own a three-bedroom detached, extended house in Crewe. I’d love to be mortgage-free and if I did have a load of money, I would invest it into houses.
HOW WAS IT FOR YOU GROWING UP?
Mum and dad have done really well for themselves, so we were comfortable. We had ponies, but I was made to respect money. If I wanted to go to Pony Club, I had to sell cakes or books to pay for it. My parents were constantly re-investing. My dad’s an entrepreneur and decided to take a risk and convert a dairy farm into a business park. He set up a business called EC02, which he eventually sold that to an American company and mum managed the human resources. I look at my parents and think, “in order to be successful you have to take risks”. I guess like I did, going on Married at First Sight.
HAVE YOU EVER STRUGGLED FINANCIALLY?
Not really and I think because my parents were so good with their money, I’ve always been sensible. When I got my first job as a nanny, I started a spreadsheet to keep track of my hours and my earnings, and I’ve always budgeted ever since. I started saving straight away, which has stood me in good stead. For instance, last year my boyfriend left, then my pregnant horse died which cost me between £4,000 and £6,000 in medical bills, but I didn’t cry about it. I just thought, “crack on and make more money”. But I accept that I’m extremely lucky and if I was ever in trouble my parents could help me.
HOW MUCH WERE YOU PAID FOR YOUR FIRST JOB?
I got paid about £8 an hour to be a nanny but I was only 16 so that felt like loads. Sometimes I’d work up to 70 hours so as a young person I was earning decent money. Then when I was 21, I opened my flower business, but I had to put it on hold when I split up with my ex-boyfriend, as we had a house together and it was too much pressure. Three years ago I went full time with the floristry. I’m not earning millions – I’m earning tens of thousands – but I love it and I’m comfortable.
WHAT’S BEEN YOUR MOST LUCRATIVE WORK?
With Married at First Sight, I didn’t get a fee but was compensated for loss of earnings, so they basically subsidised what would have been my earnings. The big boost has been in my Instagram followers. Before the show, I had 400 followers, now I have 180,000. I need to be more savvy about monetising it. I have also done a commercial campaign with Ann Summers.
DO YOU INVEST IN SHARES?
My grandad invested in shares – in Glaxo Smith Kline – and I’ve inherited them from him. I’ve not got that many. I have got premium bonds too.
WHAT’S YOUR BEST INVESTMENT?
My best business decision was creating the flower paddock which is where I grow all my flowers. When Brexit and Covid came the flowers I was importing weren’t great quality, so I thought, “why not use the space on the farm?”, so I put a business proposal to dad focusing on seasonal roses and dahlias, and alliums and delphiniums. I also offer tours and classes and flower groups, so it’s given the whole business a much more communal feel.
WORST BUSINESS DECISION?
Starting a floristry business with no horticultural qualifications meant I made a few mistakes. There’s something called lifting or leaving your dahlias. You can either lift them out of the ground and store them or leave them in the ground and cover them and hope that frost doesn’t get them. The first year I left them in the ground and every single one came back OK. The second year I lifted them, checked them for diseases, divided the tubers to make more money, but then by Christmas they were all rotten. I lost probably £3,000.
MONEY WEAKNESS?
It’s sort of the reverse of spending too much. If I haven’t sold enough classes or wreath kits or tours, I’m like, “no, I can’t have this and I can’t buy that.” I’m not very good at treating myself.
WHAT’S YOUR GREATEST EXTRAVAGANCE?
Since Married at First Sight it has become clothes. Or shoes. Or make-up. I keep saying, “I don’t need all this stuff,” but I keep buying it.
WHAT’S YOUR BEST FOR RETIREMENT: PROPERTY OR PENSION?
I’m hoping it’ll be both. I’m hoping I’ll have a nice pension and I want to invest in property in the future because it’s great, but hopefully, I’ll just be rich and won’t have to worry. Maybe I can get into flower-based TV presenting in the future, something like Gardener’s World or Countryfile. Anything that encourages young women to start their own business and take risks. You don’t have to be the sharpest crayon. As long as you try.
WHAT ARE YOUR FINANCIAL PRIORITIES FOR 2024?
I want to be not too worried about the florists. I want it to keep itself ticking over. At the moment I drive around in a flower van, so I’d love to be able to afford an actual car and just be a bit more successful with everything.
Follow Rozz @rozzdarlington and check out her flowers at www.rosalines.co.uk and www.theflowerpaddock.co.uk
