I know what it’s like to be ‘bad’ for a man’s career

As a woman who was blamed for tarnishing a man’s career, I have a lot of sympathy for Jasmine Yarbrough and the flak she’s copping over Karl’s sacking, writes Samantha X.

I used to say if there’s one thing worse than being in the public eye, it’s not being in the public eye.

Now having flirted with fame, I think the complete opposite. Being in the spotlight can be a living hell.

OK I’m hardly an A lister, but I’ve had my fair share of cringe-worthy tabloid headlines and unflattering paparazzi shots. I’ve had my wobbly thighs papped on Bondi Beach and me looking worse for wear after my birthday drinks. Oh — and let’s not forget that earth-swallow-me-up faux girlie kiss at my sad, drunken lunch I had when I’d just been dumped.

So I have plenty of sympathy for the couple who is being smashed in the media at the moment, Karl Stefanovic and Jasmine Yarbrough.

It’s the tabloid Christmas gift that keeps giving; the story we just cant stop clicking on despite knowing we are better than that. (But what’s the latest, does anyone know?)

RELATED: I stopped escorting for Ryan: Sam X

Samantha X and her then boyfriend Ryan Phelan, in a picture on his Instagram account.

And so old boy Karl has been dumped by the Today show. I’m surprised it took so long.

I am not going to pass judgment on what I think of Karl because I know exactly what it’s like when strangers pass judgment on me. I’ve never met the bloke.

But I know what it’s like when your relationship is in the public eye. And it absolutely stinks.

For those that don’t know (because you simply don’t care), I dated housewife-friendly day time TV presenter Ryan Phelan for the blink of an eye late last year. No big deal right? Not everyone knew who he was, he was certainly no Karl Stefanovic. But, he had a wholesome TV day time image. And I was the controversial journalist turned escort. Juicy stuff!

Of course it was going to ruffle feathers, not just for his viewers, but for the TV execs too. And I won’t lie to you, it kept me up at night. Was I going to ruin his squeaky-clean image? Would stay-at-home-mums turn off in disgust? (Not all them did, some of them wrote to me asking if they could work for me).

Ryan can speak for himself so I won’t, but it was a worry. I think I was more worried than he was. The guilt if he lost his job because of little old me!

Of course, the natural thing to do was to announce my retirement from my $1200 an hour escorting job and commit to a loving relationship with said TV host. Would the public be more forgiving then?

We sought advice from a talent manager, and TV execs were notified before the news went public. And so far so good, it was a case of ‘That’s great mate! Happy for you’.

But anyone who has worked in TV would know that the second your back is turned, your demise is being plotted. TV execs can look you in the eye and say they love you, and then dump you — in the case of Karl, when he was on his honeymoon.

Karl Stefanovic and Jasmine Yarbrough’s relationship and splashy wedding celebrations have been blamed for his sacking from Today. Picture: Supplied

And of course, the inevitable happened. Media speculation started that my career could ruin his career.

And I wanted to vomit. I knew his bosses would read that and whether they agreed with it, or didn’t care, it was a dark cloud over my head.

Days passed, and nothing was said on the matter. We just lived in a state of uncertainty.

Of course it affected our relationship. Being in the public eye put a huge pressure on us. In the beginning, I naively thought we could do a few nice stories and wouldn’t that be lovely. But if you think you can control the media, you are wrong.

A few months passed, and our relationship ended abruptly. Who knows whether it was pressure from his bosses and quite frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn. But the constant media did not help.

I can’t speak for Karl and Jas, but I don’t envy them. I wish them well. Everything passes, we’ll soon get bored of them. The next man I date will be a rough diamond tradie, or a plastic surgeon (hopefully).

And the closest thing I ever want to get to breakfast TV hosts again is switching them off in the morning.

Samantha X is an escort, madam, author and columnist.