For anyone who grew up in the Noughties, Skins was more than just a TV show—it was a cultural moment.
The E4 drama gave viewers a raw glimpse into teenage life, complete with partying, relationships, and experiments with drugs. But behind the scenes, not everything was glamorous.
Cast members have since spoken about feeling “unprotected” while filming, especially as young actors navigating complex adult themes.
Megan Prescott, who joined the show at 16 alongside her twin sister Kathryn as Katie and Emily Finch, has now opened up about how her time on Skins influenced her career path—and eventually led her to OnlyFans.
Turning Challenges into Opportunity
Megan, now 34, explained to the Daily Mail that her decision to join OnlyFans was shaped by her experience on Skins.
“Given my sex scenes were already online, it just made sense to monetize that side of myself,” she said.
Despite her acting background, financial struggles led her to explore the adult industry.
She first worked as a stripper and later created content for OnlyFans, where she could control what she shared and how she worked.
“The difference is control,” Megan said. “With OnlyFans I choose what I want to do.
I never felt pressured to do more than I wanted.”
She emphasized that her work in the adult industry taught her boundaries and the value of her creative labor—lessons she hadn’t fully grasped in acting.
Acting, Stripping, and OnlyFans
Megan started acting at 14, appearing in shows like Silent Witness and Holby City, along with several short films.
But the unpredictability of the industry made it hard to make ends meet.
At 22, she began stripping to support herself while auditioning, and by 2020, facing zero-hour contracts and financial pressure, she was encouraged by her friend Heaven—co-host of the Strippers In The Attic podcast—to try OnlyFans.
“She told me, ‘There’s already footage of you online from Skins, but you’re not making any money off it!’” Megan recalled.
Signing up was daunting at first; she worried it might hurt her acting opportunities.
Yet she framed sex work as a form of performance: “I’d been giving my all to acting and writing for nearly a decade, and it wasn’t happening.
Sex work is just another type of performative labor.”
Challenging the Stigma Around Sex Work
Megan draws parallels between acting and adult work, noting how common nudity and sex scenes are on TV.
“There’s a huge stigma about sex work, but women should have autonomy over their bodies,” she explained.
She described the financial benefits as transformative—earning more in two shifts as a stripper than in a month as a security guard—and called sex work a lifeline during challenging times.
Reflecting on Skins, Megan acknowledged the show’s influence on her career while recognizing it could have done more to protect young actors.
“Most things I’ve achieved wouldn’t have happened without Skins. Could we have been looked after better? Possibly.
But it was still the best thing that happened in my career.”
Bringing Life Experience to the Stage
Now Megan is channeling her experiences into a new one-woman play, Really Good Exposure, premiering in London after an award-winning run at the Edinburgh Fringe.
She stars as Molly, a former child actor considering entering the adult industry after being fired for stripping.
“It’s Slumdog Millionaire but with a pornstar,” Megan joked.
The semi-autobiographical play explores themes from Megan’s life, blending her experiences in entertainment and sex work to tell a story relatable to a wider audience, particularly millennial women.
“I wanted to share my stories in a way that resonates, but also opens minds about sex work,” she said.
Advocating for Sex Workers’ Rights
Beyond performing, Megan continues to campaign for safety and rights in the adult industry as chair of the board of Ugly Mugs (NUM), which provides legal support and protection for sex workers.
She stressed that stigma prevents proper safety measures: “If sex work wasn’t so stigmatized, we could keep more women safe.”
Despite her focus on adult work, Megan hasn’t abandoned acting.
She plans to continue pursuing roles while maintaining her OnlyFans account. “It’s been the most freeing thing I’ve ever done,” she reflected.
Catch Megan’s Show in London
Megan’s play Really Good Exposure runs at Soho Theatre from September 2 to September 13.
Tickets are available online, offering audiences a chance to see her candid, humorous, and deeply personal exploration of the intersections between acting, sex work, and personal agency.
