Born on a spring day in Liverpool in 1957, Nadine Dorries grew up in a world far removed from the corridors of power she would later walkthrough. The daughter of a bus driver and a nurse, she experienced firsthand the everyday struggles of working-class life. Yet, these early experiences perhaps instilled in her the grit and determination to characterize her later pursuits.
Nadine Dorries is a British author and former politician with a net worth of $5 million.
She served as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport from 2021 to 2022. She was also a Member of Parliament (MP) for Mid Bedfordshire for the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2023.
She is also known for her controversial views on abortion, her participation in the reality TV show I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, and her clashes with the former Prime Minister David Cameron and the former Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow.
With an estimated net worth of $5 million, this article will explore her career and how she amassed so much wealth for herself over the years.
Profile Summary
| Name | Nadine Dorries |
| Birth Name | Nadine Vanessa Dorries |
| Date of birth | 21 May 1957 |
| Age | 67 years old |
| Occupation | Politician, Author, Nurse |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Place of Birth | Liverpool |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Education | Liverpool College of Nursing |
| Net worth | $5 million |
| Family | Divorced twice, three daughters |
Nadine Dorries Net Worth
Nadine Dorries’ net worth is estimated at around $5 million as of 2024. Her primary source of income comes from her successful career as a politician. She also earns money from best-selling novels based on her life experiences.
Nadine Dorries started her career as a trainee nurse in Warrington and later became a medical representative. She also spent a year in Zambia as the head of a community school. After returning to England, she founded Company Kids Ltd., which provided child daycare services for working parents. She sold the company in 1998.
She entered politics in 2005 when she was elected as the MP for Mid Bedfordshire. She received an MP salary of £81,932, plus expenses and allowances. She also introduced several private member’s bills, primarily related to abortion and sex education, which attracted media attention and public debate.
In 2012, she lost the Conservative whip after participating in the reality TV program I’m a Celebrity. Get Me Out of Here! Without informing the chief whip. She reportedly earned £40,000 for her appearance on the show, which she donated to charity.
She also gained popularity and publicity, which helped her boost her book sales. She has written 12 novels so far, which have sold over a million copies worldwide. She earns royalties from her books, which range from £0.99 to £7.99 per copy. In 2018, her efforts were crowned with the The Spectator’s Readers’ Representative Award.
In 2019, she was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Suicide Prevention, and Mental Health. She received a salary of £102,149 for this role and her MP salary.
In 2020, she was promoted to minister of state, with a salary of £113,612. In 2021, she was promoted to Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport, with a salary of £157,372.
She resigned from this position in 2022 after a scandal involving her misuse of public funds and inappropriate relationships with lobbyists.
She also announced that she would not stand for re-election in 2023 and would focus on her writing career instead. She said she wanted to spend more time with her family and pursue her passion for literature.
Nadine Dorries Career
Nadine Dorries started her career as a trainee nurse at Warrington General Hospital in 1975. She worked as a nurse for several years, specializing in palliative care and gynecology. She also became a medical representative for several pharmaceutical companies, such as Schering-Plough and Baxter Healthcare.
In 1987, she founded Vickers Communications, which provided child daycare services for working parents. She sold the company in 1998 and became a director of BUPA, a private healthcare provider.
She became fully established after four years of joining politics in 2005 when she was elected as the MP for Mid Bedfordshire, a safe Conservative seat. She received 49.4% of the votes, defeating Liberal Democrat candidate Linda Jack. She was re-elected in 2010, 2015, 2017, and 2019, increasing her vote share each time.
As a backbencher, she introduced several private member’s bills, primarily related to abortion and sex education. She proposed to reduce the time limit for abortions in the UK from 24 weeks to 20 weeks in 2006 and 21 weeks in 2008. She also proposed to change the rules regarding counseling for women seeking abortions and to advocate sexual abstinence for girls in sex education. None of her bills passed the second reading stage.
She was also known for her outspoken views and controversial statements. She opposed John Bercow as the Speaker of the House of Commons and attempted to have him removed in 2010. She also clashed with David Cameron and George Osborne, describing them as “two arrogant posh boys” in 2012. She criticized the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, calling for an end to the lockdown and accusing the scientific advisers of “scaremongering.”.
In 2012, she lost the Conservative whip after participating in the reality TV program I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! Without informing the chief whip. She reportedly earned £40,000 for her appearance on the show, which she donated to charity. She also gained popularity and publicity, which helped her boost her book sales. She has written 12 novels so far, which have sold over a million copies worldwide. She earns royalties from her books, which range from £0.99 to £7.99 per copy.
In 2013, she was re-admitted to the parliamentary party and regained the whip. She became a member of the Health and Social Care Select Committee and later the European Scrutiny Committee. She also supported the campaign for Brexit and voted to leave the European Union in the 2016 referendum.
In 2019, Boris Johnson appointed her as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Suicide Prevention, and Mental Health. She received a salary of £102,149 for this role and her MP salary. In 2020, she was promoted to minister of state, with a salary of £113,612. She oversaw the mental health services, the NHS workforce, and the COVID-19 testing program.
In 2021, she was promoted to Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport, with a salary of £157,372. She was responsible for setting the strategy and policy for the creative industries, the digital sector, the media, and sports. She also had to deal with the issues of online safety, media regulation, and cultural diversity.
She resigned from this position in 2022 after a scandal involving her misuse of public funds and inappropriate relationships with lobbyists. She also announced that she would not stand for re-election in 2023 and would focus on her writing career instead. She said she wanted to spend more time with her family and pursue her passion for literature.
Nadine Dorries Books
Here’s a table summarizing Nadine Dorries’s book titles along with their series and published dates.
| Series | Title | Published Date |
|---|---|---|
| The Four Streets Saga | The Four Streets | April 2014 |
| The Four Streets Saga | Hide Her Name | December 2014 |
| The Four Streets Saga | The Ballymara Road | June 2015 |
| The Four Streets Saga | Coming Home to the Four Streets | 2021 |
| Run to Him | November 2014 | |
| A Girl Called Eilinora | September 2015 | |
| Ruby Flynn | November 2015 | |
| The Lovely Lane series | The Angels of Lovely Lane | June 2016 |
| The Lovely Lane series | The Children of Lovely Lane | December 2016 |
| The Lovely Lane series | The Mothers of Lovely Lane | June 2017 |
| The Lovely Lane series | Christmas Angels | November 2017 |
| The Lovely Lane series | An Angel Sings | November 2018 |
| The Lovely Lane series | Snow Angels | October 2019 |
| The Tarabeg series | Shadows in Heaven | July 2018 |
| The Tarabeg series | Mary Kate | January 2019 |
| The Tarabeg series | The Velvet Ribbon | January 2020 |
| The Bellfont Legacy | A Wicked Woman | March 2024 |
| Non-series | The Plot: The Political Assassination of Boris Johnson | November 2023 |
Nadine Dorries TV Show
Nadine Dorries’ foray into television with her talk show, Friday Night with Nadine Dorries show, on TalkTV, began with promise but ended in ambiguity less than a year after its debut. Initially stepping into the television spotlight as a guest presenter in October 2022, Dorries leveraged her political experience and public persona to launch a weekly Friday night program in February 2023. This move came after her resignation as an MP in August 2022, following a significant career, including a stint as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport.
The show’s format aimed to offer an “irreverent look at the week’s news” and included a mix of topical chats with various guests from politics, culture, and sports. The program kicked off on February 3, 2023, with a high-profile interview featuring former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, setting a precedent for the caliber of discussions and guests Dorries sought to engage with. Despite this strong start, the show’s continuity faced challenges.
By December 15 of the same year, the program had yet to air, leading to speculation about its status. Dorries confirmed that the show had not been a failure, attributing its hiatus to ongoing contract negotiations with TalkTV. She emphasized the program’s success but highlighted the commitment’s toll, mainly the travel demands from the Cotswolds to Paddington, which influenced her perspective on continuing in the same capacity.
Nadine Dorries, a figure known for her political acumen and foray into reality TV, was embroiled in controversy when she took on a directorial role at Averbook Limited on 3 October 2012. This period coincided with her participation in the popular reality TV show “I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!” While the show catapulted her into a different spotlight, it also brought scrutiny, mainly regarding financial disclosures.
Amidst the criticism, it emerged that Dorries had not been upfront about her earnings from the reality series. The specifics of the matter came to light when it was revealed that Averbrook, under her directorship, reported an income of approximately £142,000 and a profit of £82,000. From this profit, Dorries received a £10,000 dividend at the end of October, a financial benefit not immediately declared, drawing the attention of parliamentary standards watchdogs.
The oversight led to a public apology from Dorries to the Commons. Acknowledging her lapse in judgment, she expressed regret for failing to declare the fee she received for her appearance on ITV’s “I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!” program.
Nadine Dorries Early Life
Nadine Vanessa Bargery, known professionally as Nadine Dorries, was born on May 21, 1957, in Liverpool, England. She grew up in the Anfield district of Liverpool in a working-class family. Her family was religiously mixed, with her later father (aged 42) being a Catholic of Irish descent who worked as a bus driver and lift operator and her mother being Anglican. Nadine attended Rose Heath Primary School and later went to Halewood Grange Comprehensive School. Her family then moved to Runcorn, where she continued to grow up while facing the challenges of a council estate life.
Dorries’s career took its first significant step in 1975 when she entered the nursing profession as a trainee at Warrington General Hospital. This period of her life was not just about professional growth; it was also a time of personal trials, including coping with her parents’ divorce during her adolescence. In an intimate revelation, Dorries shared that she suffered abuse at the hands of Rev William Cameron, a family friend and Anglican vicar, an ordeal she kept secret due to shame but later subtly addressed through narratives in her novels.