Leona Lewis too poor for London

It's tough being a pop star. Luxury travel, money for jigging about to tunes someone else wrote and the adoration of countless spotty sprogs. But do spare a thought for Leona Lewis, winner of The X Factor and its fabled one million pound recording contract, as the poor lass can't afford to buy a house in London. Join the club, love.

Reports claim that the former receptionist had found a pad in Hackney that was to her liking and had made an offer of £500,000 only to be rejected. It turns out that once the seller realised it was the frizzy-haired pop princess, they upped the price by £100,000. Tut, tut *shakes head disapprovingly*.

A friend close to Leona and her live-in fella Lou Al-Chamaa revealed to The Sun: “It was quite upsetting. They had their heart set on a property and offered the asking price. But the seller thought she was a pop star and could afford more, so he upped the price. It’s cruel. It’s great she wants to buy a house in the area where she grew up — it shouldn’t be made harder because she’s made something of herself.”

Hear hear anonymous source that sold out their friend to sell their story. It seems that this seller's crafty tricks might put Leona off Hackney altogether. “Leona’s heart is in Hackney," continues her chum, "but lots of her friends want her to move. There is lots of gun and knife crime in the area. She’d be better off somewhere safer and greener, but still close to London."

Is Hackney about to lose its current poster girl? And if a famous pop star can't afford to live there, what hope is there for the rest of us?

Flickr image from Leona Lewis' photostream.

Written by Katie on 28 Mar 2008 1:53 PM. Permalink