There are over 70,000 female escorts working in Britain today. Some people think that being an escort is exploiting yourself, but the reality is people doing a zero-hour contract is exploitation. They're selling sexual services to over 2 million men. I think he might like my outfit. (CHUCKLES) From students to single mums, they're all selling sex on the side. Boobs more to me. Beautiful. He's a big fan of Star Wars. I've never seen my man so happy. Now the world's oldest profession is digital, and it's never been easier to get started in this billion-pound business. (CELL PHONE DINGS) Ah! (GIGGLES) I have a booking. But why do some women choose to sell their bodies? The problem with my generation is we just don't know how to date. And is it worth it? Being an escort is like being in jail. The money's really good, but the loneliness is dead hard. There's always that worry that you're gonna get addicted to the world of escorting. It is hard. If it's out of love or money, I guess I'd choose money. It's happening! It's happening. It's happening. (LIGHT PIANO MUSIC) 22-year-old Alexis recently decided to become an escort. I haven't had an escort experience yet, but I just want to get all my fears out the way. I just want to see what it's like and just have that first time to properly experience it. (CHUCKLES) Last week, Alexis contacted Cardiff's biggest escort agency to arrange a meeting. She has told no one in her life what she's about to do, but she's agreed to let a film crew capture her journey. I want a double life. I want to have fun. I want to have more excitement. I'm tired of just having one-night stands. I just want a new experience for myself. Today she's come to see the agency's manager, Laurence, to go over the final details before her first ever escort experience. There, sweetheart. Thank you. That's Stitch, the company dog. (CHUCKLES) Hello! In the UK, selling sex as an independent escort is perfectly legal, but escort agencies have to operate within strict guidelines. From our perspective, we're selling time and companionship. Anything that takes place inside the booking is mutually consented between you and the client. (SNORES) What we're offering is a kind of girlfriend experience, if you like. OK. We say that we celebrate intimacy, and they're paying a lot of money for your company. Alexis will be charging �150 an hour, of which Laurence will get a 30% cut for promoting her and taking bookings. How much would you like to earn a week? Um, �1000. �1000 a week? Yeah. OK. We can certainly help you to achieve that. When I meet the guys, at what point do I ask for money? (CHUCKLES) Ah ` always at the beginning. That's the golden rule. When you get the money, always count it. And then put the money somewhere safe. All right? You feel clear about that? Yup. Good, good, good. Is it all right if I wore a dress and heels, or is that too much for bookings? Expensive is good. Classy is good. You've got quite a unique look. We'll present you as kind of 'ebony princess'. (CHUCKLES) We'll probably market you on your profile ` 'be among the first to meet Alexis'. We'll get in touch with you as we get bookings. I think you're gonna be very popular. OK? Yeah. (QUIRKY MUSIC) As part of her induction, she also gets to meet Penny, an experienced escort, to find out what really goes on with clients behind closed doors. I'm feeling... (LAUGHS) extremely scared about my first time ` only because even though I know the client's booking me; they've paid for me; they want me; I'm meant to be in that room, I don't know what I'm supposed to do. Do I walk in the room and do I say hi? Do I pull down his pants? (LAUGHS) That's just what I'm scared of. When you have sex with guys, what is it like? Is it rough? Smooth? There's no rough sex or anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. It's just normal sex. It's just normal sex. Trust me. It's just like having sex with your boyfriend or girlfriend but who you don't know before. Is it condom always or some regulars you go, 'I know you; it's fine'? No. No. You have to use protection ` every single time, no matter how much they offer you. What's the highest price ` if you've been offered ` to go without a condom? Like, how much is the highest? They will give me, like, �1000 without condom, but I will never do it. I will not risk my own life to do it. It's not worth it. So, like, why are you here? There must be a reason you're doing this? Well, I just think I don't have a boyfriend; I'm single. So instead of using Tinder to find other guys, why not doing this? You can make money. That is actually so true. Part of the reason I'm doing it actually is because... You know when you go on a date with a guy from Tinder. I know. And it's like they pretend they want to be in a relationship with you. And then they get your hopes up as well Exactly. And you end up feeling like this may be it, and then it just turns out to be sex. And you put in so much effort. To be honest, it's not for free anymore. (LAUGHS) It's not for free anymore. Alexis has just gone live on the agency's website. She's available to meet men from tomorrow. That was... perfect. It wasn't as nerve-wracking as I thought it would be, and most of my questions got answered, so brilliant. And yeah, I'm really looking forward to it now. While Alexis is just starting out, in London, Cassandra has been a high-end escort for five years. READS: 'My name is Cassandra. 'I'm an independent London escort with indefinable quality. 'I have passion for art and find intellectual conversations a real turn-on.' Typically, she sees one client a day and charges �5000 an hour. 'I do not look for quantity but a few quality gentlemen 'who perhaps would prefer a regular possible meeting with a lady he can trust. 'What happens between us stays totally discreet and private.' Originally from Russia, 28-year-old Cassandra specialises in fantasy and roleplay for wealthy older men. This room is sparkly. It's beautiful. I made it all myself. I have disco ball. The whole idea is to create the fool fantasy. This is my treasure. These are all my costumes. Cassandra offers each man a bespoke escort experience. Last time I was playing Dracula's wife, so here is everything that's needed to be a proper vampire and actually it's quite sexy as well, so. This is my stewardess outfit. As I used to work as a stewardess, I know all the safety procedures, and sometimes I can just... be extra realistic with just saying, 'Place your life jacket over your head, and there is a whistle and a light.' At some moments, I really believe that we are in the airplane and everything is going on for real. You know, it was so intense and passionate and yeah. Like in real life. (LAUGHS) There was one gentleman. He was a sheikh. And I was his Egyptian exotic dancer. So it was something like... Quite revealing outfit, I need to admit. What I love about it is this thing, which I found attractive. And I'm thinking that it suits me. So I kind of was dancing and pretending that we are in his harem and I'm trying to seduce him and make him feel really special. And he is special. He's a special man, so he deserves a special service. For sure. (CHUCKLES) Cassandra often gets flown around the world by her clients, but today she's working from home. (KNOCK AT DOOR) Oh, here he is. * (PROJECTOR WHIRRS) (SPEAKS TE REO MAORI) They all had their defining moments. Climate change is ours. * My first time as an escort, I remember this client. He was Chinese, and we went to the same university. However, we didn't have sex because he came too soon ` before he even entered me. (LAUGHS) In Plymouth, 29-year-old Hannah has recently set up her own agency. As an escort herself, she's had her fair share of short bookings. They generally do come quite quick, and they do, cos they can't help it; they're so excited with someone that they don't know. It's all over within under a minute normally with 90% of men. They're so excited, and they actually tell you beforehand ` like, 'Oh, please, don't be fast' or 'Let's not do doggy-style because I don't think I'll handle it.' Hannah started escorting in her early 20s and dealt with all kinds of requests. The amount of guys that booked me because I looked like a child is actually quite unbelievable, because I had very petite, small boobs ` virtually non-existent boobs, to be honest; like an A-cup. And I had many people try and ask me to dress as a schoolgirl and imitate to be a child, and I wouldn't do it. And it was a big wake-up call for me that people ` normal people ` think like that. Hannah's agency specialises in dinner dates with an emphasis on companionship. To be a high-class escort, you really do need to be well spoken, reasonably well educated, well dressed, smart, clean. It's about sophistication. It's about company. It's about being a nice person. Escorting can be a risky business. A national survey reported that almost half of sex workers have experienced violence, so Hannah screens all potential clients. This one here is an actual serious warning of a dangerous client that I've actually seen before who's a paranoid schizophrenic. We know exactly who he is and all of his false names, but he bribes them about their families and tries to rob them, basically. He tried to do it with me, but I'd only just started out in Plymouth at the time; I didn't have any money for him. I'm quite a strong person. I was like, 'Goodbye now.' (CHUCKLES) But then there's other people who have definitely been fooled by him. So we're on red alert. Cos he could use any phone. We already got a few of his numbers he's tried and used. And he has tried this year to apply for our agency, and we'll never send a girl out to him. A lot of people give fake names, but we explain that we need your real name, otherwise no one will be coming. (LIGHT ACOUSTIC MUSIC) In Cardiff, 22-year-old Alexis has just signed up to an escort agency. She's still waiting to meet her very first client. I think the one thing that would put me off escorting ` I don't think it'd make me stop but put me off ` is if someone hit me or, yeah, just was violent towards me. Actually, I could probably swing them back, so... That's kind of a weird` I know I can look after myself. I know if a man's on top of me I could probably fight back. Only a day after her profile went online, Alexis is already proving popular with clients wanting to book her, but she's had to turn them down. Last night I got my period. So unfortunately for the next five days, I won't be able to work, which is really disappointing, cos I was looking forward to it. Periods and escorting don't mix. Before this I was just living for other people and doing what I thought I had to do for other people and to have this image and convey this person, and it's... Yeah, I feel like... escorting is gonna be the way that I scrap this idea of myself that I've made based on other people's expectations and start making my own person from my own expectations and my own fancies and what I wanna be. No one else's input. Just me. (CHUCKLES) One of the strangest things I've been asked ` and I was very intrigued, I was ` is to pop balloons full of water with my bare feet. I got this call from a client, and I went to his house, and we were making out, and his wife showed up. Kinda strange, but I was up for it. I was. I would definitely do it. �150 an hour, bare feet, popping balloons ` why not? His wife said, 'Oh, it's fine. It's fine. We can do it together.' I was so shocked. In Manchester, busy escort Kat is about to see her first client of the day. Hi. How are you? Welcome to my place. Well, it's not my place. I just work from here. This is my apartment where I do my work from. I've got a job in about 20 minutes' time, but I'll give you a quick tour before I go get ready for my job. This is my bedroom where I get ready and sleep out. So I've got all my stuff ` my dolls and stuff. This is where I get cosy when I go to bed. What I'm gonna do now is light the candles and then shut my curtains and stuff. He wants girlfriend experience. Girlfriend experience is like kissing and cuddling. Porn star experience is when they want more naughty stuff, but it's good when they want girlfriend experience because they get a cuddle. (CHUCKLES) Then I've got my outfits here. Cos he wants girlfriend experience, I'm just gonna wear red. It seems more romantic. (CHUCKLES) And he doesn't want the strap-on. (LAUGHS) Some guys actually like the strap` Sorry. I know it's dirty ` because it's been in my bag and needs washing. The thing is some guys like this up them. Make sure the blinds are shut. Like many escorts, Kat works independently, advertising online and managing her own bookings. I'm just texting the client now just to see how far away he is. Hopefully he should be here in about 10 minutes. Kat charges �120 an hour and sees about 25 clients a week. With no agency to pay, she keeps all her money. I open the door, and I say, 'Hi. It's Kat. How are you? Nice to meet you.' Then I say, 'Do you want a shower? Do you want a drink or anything?' And then I say, 'Can we get the business out the way first?' Because some guys, if they don't pay you first, then they say they're not gonna pay us. See you in a minute. That's my client. I've just given him directions to get in. So I think he might like my outfit. (CHUCKLES) 15 minutes later, and the client's finished. He was all right. He just wanted kisses and cuddles, so it was a bit weird. I've actually seen him before, but until he told me his occupation, I couldn't remember him, cos obviously I see that many guys. But he was all right. (CHUCKLES) But there's no time to waste, as the next one's due soon. This is why` Do you know what I did? I've hid some in my cupboard so they can't use all the towels. Some guys just think, 'Oh yeah, I'll just use 'em all,' but they don't think that you've got clients afterwards. I've got mints and stuff. Got mints for the clients. Hannah has seen a recent increase in the number of young women applying to join her agency. I can't imagine any girl out there could say that they wouldn't enjoy being paid let's just say a dinner-date rate of �350 as well as having the whole dinner paid for ` your champagne, your everything ` and then being able to afford to go shopping the next day and spending your money on luxury items. Today Hannah has arranged a photo shoot for her latest recruit, 23-year-old Jasmine. The most important thing about being an escort is your photos because men don't tend to read the dialogue. They just look at the photos, and then they get the number, and then they call it, And if those photos look great, then that guy's gonna fantasise over you, and when he meets you, those fantasies become real. Single mum Jasmine has only been escorting for two months and still has a full-time job, but she's already enjoying the economic benefits. I was working two jobs, running myself into the ground on practically minimum wage just to try and get everything paid, have a life as well for me and my family. And, yeah, I got into this, and it's given me that freedom to be able to sleep in on a Sunday and spend time with my family and have that freedom and the choice not to have to work all the time. Jasmine I would say is perfect as a high-class escort. I really would. She's had amazing reviews, and people love her. Look a little more relaxed. Jasmine's first time is still fresh in her mind and was an eye-opening experience for her. When you're meeting a client, when you first see them, as any first date, you get the butterflies; you get the build-up; you get 'is my hair gonna be OK? Is my make-up gonna be OK?' I didn't know what type of man that I was going to see, but when I got there, I was very surprised to know that he was just a gent, a real gent who wanted to show me how to have a good time and what nice wine tasted like, which is very nice. (CHUCKLES) Guys don't want to meet girls just for that moment. They want to meet someone and feel that it's real. They want to put the money on the table in an envelope and push it to one side and pretend that money exchange never happened. And it's convenient. The guy gets what he wants out of the girl. There's no arguing. There's no 'Oh, have you done the washing-up, darling?' It's what everyone kinda dreams of in a way ` the perfect partnership. It's satisfying for me to go home knowing that I've had a cuddle with someone, I've had dinner with someone, I've talked about my day to someone, which is nice, but I'm not having to sleep in the same bed as them. I'm not having to make them lunch for work. Just an all-round good time for me as well. Many escorts keep their profession a secret from friends and family, but Jasmine decided to be open with hers from the beginning. My family were very shocked at first. They stereotyped me to be like anyone else would kind of judge me. But as time went ahead they kind of got used to the idea, and I showed them how things worked. I lost some friends... due to jealousy. But you lose people on the way through life all the time, and if I'm gonna be judged by my own friends on my journey, then they need to leave. (SOFT PIANO MUSIC) (INDISTINCT CONVERSATION) Now I'm off to my first client of the day, so I'm gonna shoot off, get ready, and then get him. In Cardiff, 22-year-old Alexis is anxiously awaiting confirmation of her very-first booking as an escort. I'm between nervous and impatient. I just wanna see the client already, but then I don't wanna see the client already. (CHUCKLES) I like the whole delay to it, but, ugh, I just really wanna get it over and done with now. If you'd told me this five years ago ` 'you're gonna be selling yourself' ` I would have sat there and been like, 'Oh my God. How am I gonna feel after? I'm stressed out.' But now, because I've slept with so many guys and it's all been crap and I've felt shit, I'm just there like, 'I want to do it for money.' (CELL PHONE DINGS) Ooh. Sorry. (CHUCKLES) Sorry, just two seconds. Ah! (GIGGLES) So, I have a booking... At 9.30. He's a regular, and that's all I've been told so far. Ahh! (CHUCKLES) (SOFT PIANO MUSIC) First-time escort Alexis is on her way to meet her first ever client. I'm just feeling really nervous. I know I don't look it. But it's just... I don't know what I'm... I know what I'm getting myself into right now, but I don't really know what I'm getting myself into. I'm just nervous that it's not gonna be what I expected it to be. Yeah, and that's it. I'm just nervous that all these ideas I had might not actually be the case. So yeah. It's just... finally experiencing it. I don't know what I'm thinking. My mind's just a bit of a blank right now. All I know is that it's happening. I just feel like I've left my body and I'm just watching all this unfold. Not in a bad way. Like, I do wanna do this, and it is still genuinely something that` This is all me. But it's just like an out-of-body experience, like 'Am I really doing this?' (CHUCKLES) Alexis doesn't know anything about the man she's going to meet except that he's an agency regular. This guy has literally went on our website, looked at my pictures, and picked me out of another selection of girls, which proves that he's interested in me, so that's a plus, but it's just I hope I don't disappoint him as to what he's expecting from me. Cos you know you look at a picture of somebody and you have an idea of who they are, how they're gonna be. I hope he hasn't looked at my pictures and created an idea of what I should be and then the real me disappoints. Come on, Stitchie. Come on, boy. Agency manager Laurence is waiting to hear how she gets on. First booking is really important. It's a critical incident, obviously, in anyone's kind of life experience as an escort. You never know how it's gonna go. You can vet the clients. You can brief the young lady. You can make sure that she has access to the other girls in the team. But the dynamics of what actually happens is an unknown. So it's gonna be really interesting to see how she is when she comes out of it. (INTRIGUING MUSIC) Right. This is where I get off. It's happening! It's happening. It's happening. OK. OK. (BREATHES SHORTLY) (UPBEAT MUSIC) Some escorts can make big money. High-class escort Cassandra is on a two-day booking for which she'll earn �6000, but while her client is at work, she's got some free time. Hi. Welcome to Coco. Can I take your name, please? Hello. Cassandra. I have an appointment for my nails. OK. With myself. When I started... my career, (CHUCKLES) I was in a difficult situation. I was in need of money, and the only way to earn money fast was this. But money isn't the only motivation for Cassandra. When she was just 19, her boyfriend died. It was a long-term relationship that lasted for many years. Unfortunately this... gentleman died, and... after, I decided that maybe if I... if I won't be able to love one person like this anymore, then I can give everything that I have... to many people. (SOMBRE MUSIC) Have you ever had feelings for anybody? Have you ever caught feelings for somebody? If that happens, what do you do? Do you have to break away, or...? I'm trying to keep it in friendship kind of levels. Mm. Not to cross the line. What is it you don't like about your profession? It can be difficult emotionally. It's like an emotional roller coaster, managing all these relationships. Most of Cassandra's clients have been with her since she started five years ago. Half of these regulars are married. They see me just because they somehow finish this physical relationship with their wives. I think it's quite fair if he's going and seeing an escort. It's not like cheating and going and finding someone else to be absolutely emotionally involved because really, at the end of the day, they're paying me money for seeing them, and they understand that this is the deal. So I think it kind of saves the marriage. What would you advise the women that are in a relationship and commitment with these men? From my perspective, I think that women should pay more attention to their men, trying to find out what... ...they like? What's inside the person. What their desires are? Yeah, what they want ` and surprise them occasionally. Despite her experiences with married men, this hasn't deterred Cassandra from getting hitched in the future. One day, of course, I would like to have a family and kids, but at this stage of my life, I'm just achieving my goals. I'm developing myself. And i think that everything comes in the right time, so, yeah, if it will happen, it will happen. I'm happy any way. See you soon. Take care. Take care. Thank you. Buh-bye. * After 10 years as an escort, Kat is thinking about her future. I think I'm only gonna do it for, like, another year or so. I am 32 now, and I wanna move on, and there's nowhere to go. Hello? If you Google my name or something, all that's gonna come back is being an escort. But leaving a job she's been doing since she was 18 isn't easy, especially when business is booming. This is how many texts and stuff I normally get a day. (CELL PHONE DINGS) It just never, ever stops. Kat's popularity stems from her background in the porn industry. She made over 40 films and was offered her first job as a teenager. I accepted the job when I was 18. Basically I think it was because I got bullied in school, and the job made me feel special. Kat receives around 60 messages a day but has very little contact with friends or family. And I've got no friends. I just speak to my clients, really. I feel like I've lost my family from doing escort work. My sister sends me pictures of the kids, and basically that's it. (SOMBRE MUSIC) I would love, love a boyfriend, but it's so hard to do this job and have a partner. I think it's cos I find it so hard to trust people because obviously everybody I see that's married. I'm scared in case somebody cheats on me. READS: 'Hi. Are you available at 3.30 for an hour? 'If so`' (CELL PHONE RINGS) Oh. Got a call. Shall I hear what he's got to say? Hi. MAN ON PHONE: Oh, hi there. I wanted to see if you were available. Yeah, what time? I was thinking about 3.30 if that was OK. Yeah, that's fine. Bye. Bye. My favourite service to offer is girlfriend experience because it's cuddles and kisses and that. But Kat's background in porn means that the clients mainly request the porn star experience ` a more extreme sexual service. (CELL PHONE DINGS) Another message. I got a text! (CHUCKLES) Let's see what he says. This guy has put 'You all right with light slapping and a bit of roughness.' So he wants rough. I definitely think that it is a way for men to hit women. Be a good escort. Be a good porn star. They're not gonna get it from the wife. If they want to hit a woman, find out what it's like to hit a woman, get a woman that's gonna take it and get paid for it. That's what they think, I think. When I get my hair pulled and getting bruises and getting spat at, this might sound really crazy, but when I'm in my job, I just think, 'Do you know what? I've only got an hour of this,' and that's degrading myself, really, because I'm getting hit and stuff and I'm just thinking, 'Oh yeah, it's not gonna last much longer.' It's not OK to be treated like that, but at the end of the day, they want the porn star experience. They've seen my movies. They don't realise in movies that it's a bit of fake, where some clients take it a bit too far. (SOLEMN MUSIC) (SIRENS WAIL, HORNS BEEP) (TENSE MUSIC) Alexis has just had her first booking as an escort, and agency manager Laurence is waiting for her to return. He has no idea how it's gone. It's not easy being an escort, because you have to be all things to all people, and if you're doing that and you're doing it successfully, then it takes something from you. It's gonna make you come face to face with your own issues. Some people can cope with it, and some people can't. Ah. Here she is. Hi, sweetheart. I don't wanna kiss you cos I've got a cold. (CHUCKLES) OK. I'll give you a hug. Nice to see you. Gosh, you look great. (CHUCKLES) Thank you. Gosh, look at all that money. Yeah. So you've got �100 there. Yeah. We've got �50. Brilliant. That's great. Thank you very much. Did you count it, by the way, when you first saw the client? Yeah. Did you find that embarrassing? No. He was prepared for it anyway. I did line you said about 'Let's just get the business out the way before we start,' and he was like, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's fine.' Tell me who he was. I can't describe it. He's just... he was really nice. Was he? Good-looking? No? Yeah. (CHUCKLES) That's the one bad thing. He was quite... Chubby? Yeah. (CHUCKLES) Not the best looking in the world. Yeah. OK. What words would you use about how you felt? For example, did you feel empowered? Did you feel enthusiastic? Did you feel cheap? Did you feel sleazy? It's not cheap or sleazy, as I thought it would be, given the fact that he was quite older than me and I'm younger than him. I thought there may have been a chance that I felt a bit like, 'Ooh, I'm just a fun ride for an older guy.' Yes, yes, yes. But no, it was not like that at all. I felt like I was on an expensive date, if that makes sense. I felt like I was... this guy's wife almost. (CHUCKLES) What? His wife almost. Like the way he was speaking to me and treating me. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There was an intimacy to it? Yeah. So, in terms of how we proceed from here, are you good to go? Do you want to pause for breath? Do you want to go away, think about what's happened, or do you want to proceed? Well, I'm available all day tomorrow, so... (CHUCKLES) (CHUCKLES) You want bookings tomorrow? Yeah, definitely. OK, cool. Yeah, we can do that. Take care, darling. Look after yourself. Don't come too near me. God bless. (SOFT MUSIC) When I first walked into the room, there was a bit of awkward tension cos I didn't know what to say, so I shook his hand. Literally, as soon as I took the money, he started taking off his shoes and put his socks on the radiator and took off his jacket and was unbuckling his belt. And I was like, 'Oh. OK. It's gonna be this quick.' Cos I was assuming it was gonna be talking and then straight to the sex. And I get how bad this sounds, but when I was sleeping with him and him on top of me and the things he was saying in my ear, it just... it felt good. And then feeling the money afterwards. At the end of the day, most girls are in this for the money, and when I actually had the money in my hand, and I'd seen it and I was counting it out, it just felt good, and it was like, wow, all I had to do was spend an hour with a guy, let him sleep with me for a bit and then just talk the rest of the time, and I have five �20 notes in my hand. That's easy work. (CHUCKLES) I felt weird that he's older than my dad, but I feel great that I've had sex for` This is gonna sound bad, but this is the first time in a long time I've had sex and I've walked away from it not feeling like I've given a man something; I've not let a man take something from me that I wasn't willing to give him. The first booking has been a success, but it's still early days for Alexis. It takes a while to get to know how somebody is gonna get on, and I think she needs to do a few more bookings. She needs to be with us for a month or two, and then we'll know. I need to see more clients and I need to get more experience and see what this industry really is before I sign my name on a contract and just go, yeah, this is full-time. Because, to be honest, escorting could potentially be a full-time job for me. (LIGHT, QUIRKY MUSIC) (PIGEONS COO) Kat has come to London to have a sexual health test. Although she uses protection with her clients, there's always a risk of sexually-transmitted diseases, so she needs to be sure she's safe. KAT: Hi. Hiya. How you doing? Come and take a seat here. Dr Laurence Gerlis specialises in treating sex workers, including escorts, and has known Kat for 10 years. You've been doing a bit of escort work I think. Yeah, I do mainly my escort work. With condoms? Without condoms? Yeah, with condoms. Mainly with condoms. With condoms, yeah. OK. Which is good. Do you have any symptoms of anything? No. Have you had any dodgy clients that you`? Not had any dodgy clients. It's just getting that really checked up all again and stuff like that. I think I'll do the fingertip test for HIV, cos we'll get results straight away on that. I'm gonna take a fingertip blood sample from you. We've seen new and more virulent infections, which is worrying. And we've recently in London had an outbreak of syphilis among people working in the adult industry. I think the thing that's changed is that infections are more common and they're more difficult to treat because of things like antibiotic resistance. And my observation is there's an increasing number of people who are drawn to the adult industry as a way of making a living. What we've got is one dot at the top there, which means this is a valid HIV test, but what there isn't there is a second dot underneath. A second dot underneath would be positive, but yours isn't ` so that's a negative HIV test ` so that's really good news. Dr Gerlis has seen first-hand how hard it is for escorts like Kat to leave the business. How long do you want to go on doing this sort of work? I don't want to be, like, working when I'm about 60, so it's time to settle down, but the thing is it's hard for me to get a new job because when people see that you've been an escort and a porn star, it's hard to go back into a certain job. It's like when you've come out of jail, innit? We certainly do see escorts in their 40s and 50s because that's the only job they can get to do, and that's sad. That's why I think it would be better for Kat to get out sooner rather than later, and I hope she does. I never can tell when I'm gonna come out of it. One day I might just get up and think, 'I'm not doing no more of it.' Kat's been given a clean bill of health. She's still unsure about her future, but for now, it's back to work. Escorts often go on tour to different cities to increase their client base and their rates. I'm here for normally about three or four days and then moving up to Milton Keynes. Normally I come away with quite a few thousand pound. The money's really good, but the loneliness is dead hard. I'm basically in a hotel room by myself until a client comes knocking at my door. I just really want a 9-to-5 job. I just want to go work at a bar or a cafe, do normal things ` take the dogs for a walk and stuff. I wanna make my family proud of me again. I think if you saw me in a few years' time, I'd actually be married with a baby in my hand. With a son or daughter, saying, 'Kid, don't grow up like your mother.' (CHUCKLES) (CELL PHONE DINGS) Oh, it's gonna be a long night, I think. I think it's gonna be one of them because it's started already. (BIRDS TWITTER) A word of warning to anyone who is looking into becoming an escort ` although it brings so many options and so much power to your life, it can also destroy your life just like that. If you're not mentally stable and you're not in a good place, this is not a job for you. (LIGHT UPBEAT MUSIC) (CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS) Good. It's been four weeks since Alexis became an escort. I never thought I'd see the day that I wore nipple tassels. (LAUGHS) Just move this out the way. Today she's having her first set of professional photos taken for the agency website. (CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS) Good. I actually am enjoying my first month of escorting. It's completely different to what I was expecting. I haven't at any point felt like, 'Whoa, this is not OK. I need to stop.' Yup. Good. OK, point the toes. Yup. There was been one booking where the guy was a complete douche. And I told Laurence, and then it was dealt with. The agency said I'd never, ever have to work with him again. And there was one booking where he was 72, and I genuinely don't think I could do that one again. He was a nice guy, but... when he was taking off his clothes and he was standing naked, he was like, 'Do I look good? Do I look sexy?' And all I could think was, 'You look so shrivelled and old!' (LAUGHS) And that was the one t` I was sat on the bed being like, 'Yeah, you look amazing. You look so good,' and then a little voice in my head said, 'What exactly are you doing right now?' (LAUGHS) One of the reasons Alexis started escorting was because of her experiences with online dating. The problem with my generation is we just don't know how to date, and the reason why we don't know how to date is because we're so 'me, me, me', cos on Instagram and social media, it's all about you, so we don't know how to care about other people's feelings. We don't really care about the impact our behaviour has towards other people's emotional wellbeing. And when I'm escorting and I'm meeting these people face to face ` not through a phone screen ` I'm getting to know them. I'm getting to understand them. And even though I'm not attracted to most of my clients, I still care about them. These last weeks have been... amazing ` sleeping with people and walking out of the room knowing that they haven't hurt, lied to me, or mislead me.