I gave up my teaching career to become a porn star in Europe’s X-rated film capital – now I’m earning £100s a day
CHILDREN talking loudly, acting up and refusing to do their work – it’s enough to drive countless teachers to despair.
But former English and PE teacher Jonny Oblong made a very drastic move to get away from the challenges of the classroom – switching careers to become a porn star.
Now, the 38-year-old can earn hundreds of pounds for a day’s work compared to the comparatively small sums he was paid as an educator in the UK.
For seven years, Jonny taught in a British school before deciding to ditch his education job for porn, after moving to Prague, Czech Republic.
He first came to the city on a friend’s stag do, oblivious to the fact that it would become his home.
As The Sun found out in our latest dispatch, the capital has become a thriving hub for the adult entertainment industry, with producers taking over holiday rentals to film high-tech virtual reality romps.
“People may well find they’ve rented a flat where porn has been filmed,” says Jonny.
“It’s not a case of if someone will meet a porn actor here, it’s when.”
But while some performers have thrived in sex-mad Prague, others reveal they have tried to leave the industry – only to find their reputations difficult to leave behind.
For Jonny, moving into porn wasn’t difficult thanks to his connections.
“I already knew people in the industry and my friends always joked I’d do well in the adult industry,” he told The Sun.
“I didn’t tell the school when I gave in my resignation what I was going to do.
“I told them I wanted more flexible hours and the ability to travel, which is exactly what porn gives me.”
During his years teaching, he worked in a high school, which means it is possible that teenagers who had him as a teacher will come across his videos.
“It’s entirely possible that they find my content, I can’t stop that,” he said.
“I hope they haven’t yet, as they’re kids. But if they do it’s not my problem, it’s up to their parents to monitor what they watch.
“I accepted that in this job, people I know may well see me at some point or other.
“But most people are too embarrassed to bring it up to my face.”
Awkward chat
Jonny – who also does live sex shows dressed as a Viking – jokes that his own schooldays, where he enjoyed being a ‘theatre kid’, have fed into his newfound career as an adult performer.
“I know it’s not Oscar-winning acting,” he joked with a grin.
“But I love doing the little scenes and getting to improvise.”
He only started appearing in front of camera less than a year ago, climbing the ladder as a behind-the-scenes assistant helping fetch everything from food to sex toys.
He explains: “I didn’t tell my parents until I was making decent money from it, so they knew I was getting steady work.”
Troubles of the trade
Jonny will be hoping his career choice pays off, as trying to return to a normal job after porn is incredibly difficult for obvious reasons.
Italian pornstar Denis Marti, 52, who started his career in the 1990s, decided to leave the industry to become a restaurateur back in his homeland.
“At the time, I and others felt like the internet was decreasing the quality of pornography when I decided to take my break,” he said.
“I got into the restaurant business and became a chef, but it was hard because I felt that people would judge me for having been in porn.
“There seemed to be this suggestion that I couldn’t do my cheffing because I’d been in porn, which was a shame.
“People were always bringing up my past so I decided I might as well go back to porn because I’m good at it and I have talent there.”
Dark side of pornography
Like every industry, the pornography business has a darker side.
Suicides, drug overdoses and human trafficking form a seedy underbelly, which recently has made headlines in both Europe and the United States.
In January this year, porn star Thania Fields was found dead after sharing that she had experienced “sexual abuse” at the start of her career in porn.
She said at the time: “I have suffered sexual harassment and abuse after starting to create adult content. It’s very strong.
“Many thought that by hiring me they could do what they wanted with me, but then I came home, took a bath and cried.”
Recently deaths in the US include star Angelina Please, Dahila Sky and Olivia Lua.
Former director Tommie McDonald tells us he left the business after being confronted with some horrifying situations.
He says at least two models he knows off killed themselves while he was still producing, and many more simply seemed to disappear.
He said: “Over the years working in the industry, suicides were sadly fairly common.
“Often Eastern European women are brought into the industry at the hands of traffickers and forced into filming porn under threats of violence.
“It’s hard to work in this industry and not have your morals shift because so much goes on.
“I’ve also heard of rape allegations against top producers and suggestions that people have been drugged on set before filming.
“It was also commonplace for a bit in Europe that talent would forge clear tests so they could still work even if they had contacted something.
“There was a HIV outbreak in Europe about five years ago, which thankfully changed the way testing was done.”
Denis, who speaks six languages, got into the industry when he was studying in Rome for his PhD in English and Spanish comparative literature as a way to pay the bills.
Thanks to the reputation that had been built as a reliable male performer, over two decades of work, he was able to slot back into the world.
“A lot of my fans had been asking me to go back to it for a few years,” he said.
“They felt that my kind of romantic porn was lacking with things being focused on more hardcore scenes.
“I like doing scenes that require story-telling and connection. It’s all romantic.”
One thing he has noticed since coming back is the power shift to the performer thanks to platforms like OnlyFans and X, formerly Twitter.
Plus, fans are able to get in touch more easily thanks to social media.
“There is basically no barrier,” he said.
“Pornstars are no longer this mysterious thing that could only be met at conventions. It’s a click of a button.
“I know productions companies aren’t keen on sites like OnlyFans, but’s a great way for performers to find a specific niche and create revenue for themselves.”
OnlyFans saved me
Mari Galore, 29, who filmed Denis’s first scene back with him, is one performer who makes the most of fan sites.
Given her heavily tattooed body, she isn’t the typical porn girl despite her tiny stature.
“I’m a bit special in this industry because of my tattoos,” she said.
“In Europe they don’t like to give work to people they think look ‘freaky’. It’s a kind of discrimination.
“So I do a lot of my own work which is comfortable for me and sometimes work with productions when they want me.”