Inside OnlyFans Triangle in unassuming corner of UK where Bonnie Blue family ‘drive Lambos’ & porn sweeps away tradition

SINCE the Industrial Revolution, hardworking women led the way in building lucrative businesses in what was once known as the Lace Triangle. Fast forward to today, and as jobs in the textile industry have dried up, local girls have had to get more “imaginative” – and a dubious modern-day equivalent has emerged. Three of the UK’s most infamous adult content creators, including Bonnie Blue, were brought up within a 30 square mile zone in Derbyshire Credit: Olivia West Bonnie Blue, 26, born Tia Billinger, was raised in picturesque Draycott Credit: © Glen Minikin Three of the UK’s most infamous adult content creators on OnlyFans were brought up within a 30 square mile zone in rural Derbyshire. Bonnie Blue, 26 was raised in picturesque Draycott; Lily Phillips, 25, was born and bred 14 miles away in Denby; and Rebecca Goodwin, 32, is another 14-miles away in Chesterfield – an area covering the “OnlyFans Triangle”. All three chose a less virtuous path than the generations that preceded them and now earn fortunes peddling explicit photos and videos online. Their colossal income would leave their fiercely independent hand-bobbing forebears who knew what true hard work felt like, stunned. Controversial sexual stuntwoman Blue, who made her name sleeping with 1057 men in 12 hours, is worth an estimated £11 million, while Phillips rakes in a reported £500,000 a month and Goodwin £250,000 a month. So what do the folk who live in this picturesque part of the UK, where the average salary hovers between a modest £35,000 and £40,000 and up to 150,000 people claim benefits – think of its new breed of women? In Draycott, a small walking party is cooling its boots on a bench in the village centre, drinking tea from flasks and peeling cellophane-wrapped sandwiches. They have never heard of Bonnie Blue, but Paul Cooper, 72, Lynsey Jones, 73, Chris Jones, 76, and Julie Scott, 69, nod knowingly at each other at the mention of OnlyFans. None are shocked that women are earning millions flogging sexual content online. “Well, it’s the oldest profession in the world, isn’t it?” says Julie. However, Paul has an interesting theory about what has driven this new wave of female financial dominance in Derbyshire. He says: “Derbyshire played a major part in the Industrial Revolution; it had water-powered factories, great mills and the coal mining industry, of course, was huge not far away into Nottinghamshire.” He points at a domed building in the distance, which has been turned into swanky flats. “That was Victoria Mill, one of the biggest lace factories in the world at the time. Lily Phillips, 25, was born and bred 14 miles away from Bonnie in Denby Credit: Getty The barman at the Denby Lodge went to school with Lily and recalls her as an unremarkable pupil Credit: © Glen Minikin “This area used to be part of what was known as the Lace Triangle, and it was famous for producing it. Of course that’s now long gone, and the mines are long gone, so it leads to a decline in good jobs for local people. “And that means these girls have had to get imaginative about how to make money. “It won’t please everyone.” Blue’s hunger for fame is not borne out of poverty but arguably stems from a desire to be rich and famous for the sake of it. Before gaining notoriety for bedding hundreds of men and declaring that husbands should cheat on “lazy” wives, Blue, born Tia Billinger, was once a dance-loving schoolgirl who doted on her rugby-playing, privately educated boyfriend and enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle. Phillips, whose parents owned a successful cleaning company, was on a wholesome, academic path, studying a nutrition degree at Sheffield University. She dropped out in 2020, a year after launching herself on OnlyFans. In 2024, she engaged in sexual acts with 101 men in a single day and shared the stunt with her subscribers. Of the three, only Goodwin – nicknamed “traffic cone girl” for her unique choice of silicone props, which feature in her explicit videos – has spoken of financial hardship prior to her adult content career taking off. Rebecca Goodwin, 32, is from Chesterfield and completes the ‘OnlyFans triangle’ Credit: instagram/beckymil1_ Blue and Goodwin’s reputation in Chesterfield is mixed Credit: © Glen Minikin While the subscription-based platform is best known for its adult material, not all users earn money in the same way Blue, Philips and Goodwin do. More virtuous money-making creators share tutorials on hair and beauty, dentistry, baking, as well as arts and crafts. As you enter Draycott, you’re first struck by the floral displays bursting from troughs. There are hanging baskets all over the village centre, and the knitted scene on top of the pillar box near Callum Burton’s new bar, The Hoptimist, adds a wholesome touch. Callum, 36, and his wife quit their jobs to start the real ale house, and business is booming – but they have a way to go to reach Bonnie Blue’s annual earnings. “She must be doing well,” says Callum. “I see someone who I’m sure is related to her in some way driving around in a blue Lamborghini; it’s pretty flashy. “Day-to-day, you don’t hear Bonnie being discussed very much; I think people just have the view that she can get on with it and earn her money however she sees fit, even if some of her stunts have been a bit extreme.” One local who is by no means thrilled to be associated with Blue is the owner of Bonnie’s hair salon down the road. One local who is by no means thrilled to be associated with Blue is the owner of Bonnie’s hair salon Credit: Rob Parfitt / Channel 4 Bar owner Callum Burton has some respect for local Bonnie’s self-made success Credit: © Glen Minikin Established 22 years ago by Bonnie Lee Jackson, you’d assume it could be somehow linked to the village’s resident porn star? Emphatically not, the owner insists, who is so anxious to distance her business from Blue that she declines to comment. Another villager tells us: “Bonnie’s business was here while Tia was still at school; it’s a shame for her because it’s got absolutely nothing to do with Tia, and people do keep asking Bonnie about it. Tia got pregnant after having sex with 400 men and is still posting content during pregnancy. Who wants to be associated with that?” If Draycott is reluctant to be associated with Bonnie Blue, the same can be said for the inhabitants of Lily Phillips’ smaller home village of Denby (population 2,561). The barman at the Denby Lodge went to school with her and recalls her as an unremarkable pupil. But what does he think of her current career? “It’s up to her how she makes her money,” he shrugs. “It’s not like there are many options.” Bar manager Sally picks up the same theme: “Just out of the back of the pub across the field you’ll get to the Denby Pottery, or what was the Denby Pottery; it’s shut down now after all those years. “It’s sad that the young people don’t have the big employers like they used to, and it has meant they turn to other ways of making money.” Lily Phillips’ smaller home village of Denby had a very different tradition Credit: Olivia West Derbyshire lass Hanna Kasianiuk has found some of her own success on social media – but worries about younger girls being influenced into OnlyFans work Credit: © Glen Minikin There were 130 jobs lost when Denby fired its last piece of ceramic in June, ending a proud 214-year tradition that made the name famous worldwide. If that was Phillips’ only option of employment close to where she was raised, she’s done quite well without it, having last December snapped up a £1.1m mansion in a well-heeled Cheshire village, a far cry from her former home. Blue and Goodwin’s reputation in Chesterfield is mixed. No-nonsense churchgoer Nathan Wright, 26, from the town, said: “These girls need to find Jesus. This just isn’t a respectable way to earn money, and they need to think again about what they are doing. “It’s not just for themselves; it sets a bad example to children who will feel they don’t need to work properly to earn money when they grow up.” Wendy, who works in education, agreed: “The argument goes ‘, they aren’t hurting anyone, it’s their bodies, they can do as they wish with them’. “But that’s only half of the story. When Bonnie Blue is deliberately posting rage bait about her conquests of really young men, calling them “barely legal”, she isn’t striking some blow for feminism. “She’s simply fuelling anger and hostility towards women, and there’s enough of that in the online world already. “Children will see it and think that instead of gaining an education and working hard to achieve something, they can make themselves look desirable to men and sell their bodies online, making money they could only otherwise dream about.” Meanwhile, at the town’s mid-week market under the shadow of the famously crooked steeple of the Church of St Mary’s and All Saints, Kirsty Smith beams at the mention of Goodwin’s name. “My cousin was involved in a road accident, and it was devastating to her, causing really serious injuries that she’s still living with. “Rebecca donated £1,000, just straight out of the blue – in my eyes she’s a hero.” Goodwin has spoken of financial hardship prior to her adult content career taking off Credit: instagram/reelbeckymil1 Chesterfield local Kirsty Smith was bowled over by Rebecca’s generosity Credit: © Glen Minikin Hanna Kasianiuk, 36, is also an influencer, with 160,000 followers on Instagram and another 118,000 on TikTok, but what she shares on social media is comparatively tame. She said: “I’ve been able to become an influencer due to my hair; that’s what I post about and I’m lucky that people really like that content.” While her friend and kids’ entertainer Oryna Kozlova, 24, chipped in to add that online platforms of all kinds ‘are just part of society’, Hannah was quick to point out: “My only concern would be if children start to think that’s the way to make money, that it’s easy, we have to be careful of giving that message.” The lace makers who worked brutal 18-hour shifts, six days a week, to put food on the table would have no doubt agreed.