Nelly Faiers DOES get paid to go on TOWIE – but needs a payrise, says mum Billie Faiers

The world of reality TV is a strange on, to be sure. Where else could you work where your boss insists that you bump into a recent ex on a random street, or work out at a public park in full makeup, extensions and fake nails?

But that's not the weirdest thing about reality shows – what about the payment? There have been rumours for years around who earns what, but finally someone from TOWIE has spoken out about this deepest taboo.

Yes, Billie Faiers has revealed to heat that her daughter, nearly two, DOES get paid to be on the show – and she's already making good friends with her bank manager.

When we asked Billie if Nelly makes her own money on the show, she replied: "She does! She's got her own bank account, so every time she films she gets some money put into it, which means she'll have savings when she's older. I told producers, 'She definitely deserves it, she's a cast member!'"

But what about the thorny issue of age equality – does Nelly get paid the same as other castmates?

"No! Which is actually a bit unfair. When she's on TOWIE my Twitter goes mad, more than anyone else on the show, I need to have a word with them about that," added Billie.

Speaking about her upcoming wedding to fiancé Greg Shepherd, Billie said: "Ideally I'd like to be pregnant this year, as Greg and I would like to have another baby before we get married in 2018. That’s why we're taking our time with the wedding planning."

heat also quizzed the 26-year-old mum about her sister Sam Faiers' one-off reality show The Baby Diaries, in which her boyfriend Paul Knightley was criticised on Twitter for being controlling and… well, just a bit weird tbh.

"Everything's fine," said Billie.

"There was never any tension at all between him and us, that's just how it came across to other people. We all laughed when we watched the show. He admitted he was nervous and he probably did say things that were a bit… that he'd never normally say, because he felt nervous.

"He found it hilarious, whereas Samantha was more bothered by it because it's different when it’s the person you love."

Catch the full interview in this week's heat, out today.

Billie Faiers and Greg Shepherd's engagement album is GORGEOUS