SHE rose to fame as one of reality TV’s first villains, but almost two decades after Grace Adams-Short strutted out of the Big Brother house to a chorus of deafening boos, she has stepped straight into another modern-day controversy.
The 40-year-old former reality star has launched a brand-new career running a glossy content creation hub, OSO Studios. However, it isn’t just fashion brands and adult influencers flocking to her doors; Grace has also been accused of cashing in on children by creating an army of young influencers.
Her controversial new project is certainly highly lucrative, but is seen by some as ethically murky and has raised eyebrows amongst the close-knit mums of the North West, where Grace is based.
Her “content to catwalk masterclasses” are being marketed to children as young as eight, and the would-be kidfluencers will have to fork out £50 to secure a place, which is expected to raise thousands.
Proudly showing off her protégés on her Instagram page, Grace is helping a new generation of digital wannabes master the art of viral videos, brand storytelling, and grid-perfect aesthetics.
But her latest venture has thrust her right into the centre of a heated debate: are we exploiting our children for clicks, likes, and cash?
To many, the world of child influencers is just harmless fun, but there are concerns that children are being exploited in an effort to find fame and fortune.
Indeed, one mum said that she thought that the children in Grace’s online videos looked “older than their years”, adding: “I felt uncomfortable watching those children strutting and posing in crop tops. It looked like overly sexualised behaviour.”
In Grace’s marketing, she promises her young fans – all of whom were born years after her reality TV stint in 2006 – to learn from her, or as she puts it: “I make you stand out from the rest”.
Her £50 classes are “open to all girls and boys age 8-16” and she promises that participants “will walk away being involved, coached and filmed by professional videographers as well as professional portrait photographs being taken of them to boost their own personal brand and portfolio”.
Even more enticing for the wannabe content creators – and their push parents – is the opportunity to work with Grace’s list of brands.
She even teases: “I will be scouting and casting for future models to work for brands I’m working with so come and get noticed, have fun and learn important skill sets from an early age which will give you the edge.”
But it has left many mums and dads feeling uneasy after their children came across the adverts.
One told me: “All children want to be famous and TikTok and YouTube stars nowadays, and it feels like Grace is really cashing in on that. Rather than encouraging kids to be nurses or scientists and give back to the world, we are telling them they can all be celebrities.
“I don’t know what her motive is, but there seems to be a lot of money to be made in this new world.
“There’s no two ways about it. She is cashing in on children’s hopes. But I think she is selling them a false dream.”
Grace’s classes are held in collaboration with Glamify fashion, owned and founded by husband-and-wife team Ashley Ali and Hollie Cassidy. The couple started the brand after selling their previous fast fashion company, MissPap, to Boohoo in 2019.
Glamify, which also has an extensive children’s range, focuses on offering a “champagne lifestyle on a lemonade budget” and has worked with controversial child star Lacey M to promote their clothing.
Lacey M, 12, was banned from TikTok last month after amassing over 1.7 million followers, breaking the strict rules around youngsters using the platform before the age of 13.
She made national headlines after her mum organised a ticketed birthday party for the young influencer’s 12th birthday party, with an appearance from make-up mogul P.Louise, which is estimated to have raked in £54,000 for the organisers.
Grace – who describes herself as Brand Management, Creative Director, and Pose Coach – also works with Lip Fix Cosmetics, which unveiled their new “face” of the make-up company as Ruby Alexis, a TikToker with over 250k followers.
They said: “We didn’t just choose Ruby because she’s iconic—we chose her because she’s been obsessed with our natural formulas since day one.”
Ruby is just 14 years old.
Grace’s OSO studio also gushed about working with LouLou Athleisure, a popular fashion trend combining athletic clothing with leisurewear. The brand advertises itself as being for girls as young as four.
The reality TV star delivered an advert featuring a number of young pre-teen and teenage models which were cast by Grace herself.
The studio wrote: “We supplied the space and brought in our Creative Director to do the rest Grace Adam-Short delivered a full website package plus casting.
“It’s clear to see why we are the top content studio in the North West.”
Dark world of ‘kidfluencers’
The rise of the “kidfluencer” is one of the internet’s latest troubling phenomena. Across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, children barely old enough to cross the road by themselves are raking in millions of views.
Experts warn of the intense psychological pressure placed on kids whose entire self-worth becomes tied to an algorithm.
There are also terrifying concerns regarding online privacy, the dark reality of predatory followers, and the phenomenon of pushy “sharenting” – where parents monetise their children’s every waking moment.
An associate of Grace, who has worked with her on shoots, said she is “a one hundred per cent professional” and wants to “help children’s dreams come true and offer them mentorship.”
They likened the new world of online content creation to the fashion world of the nineties, pointing out that models Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss were scouted as young teenagers
But child safety campaigners have warned that when the lines between “playtime” and “content creation” are blurred, the mental health toll can be devastating.
If anyone knows the crushing weight of public scrutiny, it’s Grace. Bursting onto our screens in 2006 during Big Brother 7, she quickly became the show’s most notorious “villain,” clashing with Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace and famously drenching Susie Verrico with a glass of water before her eviction.
Yet, against all odds, Grace secured the ultimate reality TV fairy tale. She fell head over heels for housemate Mikey Dalton. While most showmances fizzle out within weeks, Grace and Mikey proved the doubters spectacularly wrong.
They married in 2009 and have been together for 19 years, and share four children.
Grace previously ran Studio 76, a performing arts college, before putting her career on pause for her family.
She previously said: “I sold that when my three-year-old came along because it was a lot of juggling. So I totally had a break, had another baby and then my youngest, who is four now, he’s just started like preschool.”
With her youngest now out of the house, Grace spotted a massive gap in the market for a one-stop-shop content studio.
“I’ve started getting back into work… There wasn’t really anywhere that you could go and do everything under one roof,” she said.
“When it’s location, you’re kind of weather dependent or permission dependent, there’s a lot to do. Also sometimes if I was doing it even for myself, like videos or things like that, I didn’t necessarily want my house on.”
Now, she is fully immersed in the chaotic world of digital content creation, curating everything from brand campaigns to wildly elaborate photo shoots.
And her sudden transition from quiet domesticity to high-octane influencer manager has left her inner circle stunned.
She revealed: “My friends, they watch and they’re like, ‘oh my gosh’, because one minute I was a stay-at-home mum and now my Instagram’s just blowing up. They’re like, ‘Grace, what are you doing? You just don’t stop.’ It’s non-stop behind the scenes.”
Despite the frantic pace – and the swirling controversy over her work with pre-teens – Grace seems entirely unapologetic about stepping back into her power.
“I absolutely love it, and I think I was raring to get back to work,” she confessed.
“I absolutely love being a mum and all the rest of it, but I think my creative flow wasn’t quite ready to be sitting on the shelf just yet.”
When The Sun contacted Grace Adams-Short, she said: “The £50 per application goes to covering the cost of the venue, goodie bags , refreshments and fee of the videographer and photographer, which we share with the participants boosting their own portfolios.”