WHEN you think of a stripper, you may conjure up an image of Dita Von Teese writhing around as she disrobes in an oversized cocktail glass or giant birdcage.

Or one of the Playboy Bunnies removing a barely-there bikini for a saucy shoot.

But while strippers may have men fawning over them and showering them with gifts, it’s not always glamorous.

They can earn thousands of pounds in a single night but it’s not easy money.

Strippers put up with everything from cat fights backstage to punters pleasuring themselves while they are dancing.

From badly-behaved, handsy OAPs to stingy blokes trying to get a striptease for £2.50, four strippers reveal all to The Sun Online.

Strippers can make hundreds of pounds a night – but the job can be anything but glamorous at times

Scarlett Davey, 35, is single and works in a Soho strip club – she lives in South London.

Scarlett says: “I’ve been doing my job for a decade and love it.

“When the audience are smiling it’s a great feeling. It’s when they’re stony-faced that it’s off-putting.

“I hate it when girls come along and laugh at us, or when blokes try to bring their girlfriend with them – it’s obvious they don’t want to be there.

“Although, I have one couple who come to the club every year for their anniversary. “They enjoy getting a dance together from me.

“Another time we had a couple getting frisky in the audience.

Scarlett once witnessed a couple in the audience getting it on
“I see a variety of punters, from the middle-aged blokes who have come down to London for the day to the older men after some company.

“They are the worst. They can be filthy b***ers and touch you up, assuming they can do anything because they’re over 70.

“I’ve seen enough willies to last me a lifetime. Some guys even put a condom on and play with themselves while you’re gyrating away.

Strippers are seen as ‘luxury items’ by many men
“I don’t get a wage: I pay to work. This can be between £20 to £100 depending on the club and time of day.

“I then make my money on the dances. I can earn anything from £50 to £400 a night, although some clubs change a percentage on this.

“It’s been tough since the 2008 crash, as we are seen as a ‘luxury item’, and stripping has become more socially acceptable, so there’s more girls dancing.

“You’re not meant to go near someone else’s client – but not everyone respects that and it can get catty.

“I know girls who’ve had houses bought for them. I’ve been gifted holidays, perfume and clothes over the years.

“I eat healthily and work out. Clubs have a dress code – even your nails have to be perfect – and some won’t employ you if you aren’t thin enough.”

Natalie Beggit, 27, lives with her partner and family in Cheshire.

Natalie says: “I first started at 18, but wasn’t prepared for the criticism about my body.

“Now I don’t take things personally. If some don’t like my curly hair, big bum or the colour of my skin it doesn’t matter – plenty of other guys do.

“There is a perception that we’re bimbos who’d scratch each other’s eyes out over a punter, but we get on.

“We’ll even check each other’s knickers to ensure our tampon strings aren’t sticking out.

“One girl was still breastfeeding, and would express milk backstage.

“Some blokes loved the size of her boobs, but they’d have keeled over if they knew she was leaking milk into her bra.

“Most of us are intelligent: I’m using my assets to earn more money over a weekend than I could in a month.

“There are dancers of all ages and body types. A lot of blokes don’t want someone too young as it reminds them of their daughter.

“Some of the girls are plump or average-looking – shy types don’t want someone too hot as it puts them off.

“I usually go to work in my PJs and change into my glam outfit there.

“I’ve got loads of outfits – but I usually wear a lace or fishnet dress that just hits my bum cheeks.

“Pleaser shoes are the go to brand for strippers, as they make your legs look really long – I feel powerful strutting around in mine.

“Some clubs charge a commission on each dance – this is usually 30 per cent.
“There’s also a house fee in some clubs we have to pay. At my current workplace it is about £80 at the weekend.
“I’m good at my job. I don’t feed guys bulls***, that’s why I get repeat customers.

“They’re safe knowing I’m not going to stalk them on Facebook or shop them to their wives.

“I know who I am. I’m not ashamed. My job is a business.”

Hannah Green, 28, from Glasgow currently works as a stripper. She is single.

Hannah says: “I started dancing when I was 18, working between three different clubs.

“Money was tight because I was also a full-time carer for my dad.

Hannah Green started stripping as money was tight
“One day, I met a friend for a drink who told me she’d got a job as a stripper. It didn’t take much persuasion for me to audition.

“You have to do a striptease for the owner – he decides if you’re sexy enough to earn him money. I borrowed my friend’s undies for the performance.

Hannah says she’s always up for ‘lesbian performances’

Hannah says she’s always up for ‘lesbian performances’
“There are two types of dancers: those who are totally into it, and those who switch off. I go between this.

“I’m bisexual, and if a client wants a lesbian performance I’m always up for it.

“Once another girl and me got so into it the guy walked out. I think he felt he was intruding.

“Men do get turned on, but the moaning and groaning can be weird. You take yourself to your own head-space, shove your arse in their face and just think: ‘you’re not really here.’

Hannah says her work can make it hard to have a relationship
“It cost a fiver for a lap-dance at one of the places I started working at. Some men would count it out in coins, and even asked what they could get for £2.50.

“I’ve since moved out of stripping to be a dominatrix.

“This line of work can make it hard to have a relationship. When I’m done stripping or dom work I don’t want to talk to anyone or be touched.”

‘Many girls went all the way because it was easy money’
Hayley Ellis, 51, was an exotic dancer. She is now married and working as a botox technician in Scarborough.

Hayley says: “I was an exotic dancer in a club during my early 20s, calling myself ‘Cherry’. I offered private dance sessions for more money too.

“I was a single mum, and it was better paid than my day job as a nursing assistant.

“My colleague hadn’t told her partner she worked at the club. Imagine her face when he turned up with his mates. I told her to go over and offer him a lap dance.

“In the 1980s yuppies – well-heeled young men who worked in the City – would turn up with wads of cash to flash around. We were told what to wear and to flirt with every guy who came in.

“It was acceptable for blokes to touch us girls and slap our a***s. The guys were spending hundreds on a night, so you had to keep them on side. My mantra was: think of the tips.

“Many girls went all the way because it was easy money. They did it for their kids – there was no family tax credit back then.

Hayley says strippers today have it easier than she did

“Thirty years ago it wasn’t a respectable job. But I’d already modelled and saw it as a way of making more cash.

“I was a single mum, but I’ve never told my kids. I keep this part of my past to myself.

“I didn’t work as a stripper for long. Constantly being pulled down on to some bloke’s lap wasn’t fun.

“Men always want more – it’s not a job I’d want my daughter to do.”