Stephen Bear Net Worth

Stephen Bear was a controversial yet popular reality TV personality in the UK who first found fame on Shipwrecked in 2011. He went on to appear on other shows like Ex on the Beach and Celebrity Big Brother, raising his public profile. 

Bear leveraged his celebrity to earn income from TV appearances, endorsements, a memoir, and social media, accumulating a net worth estimated in millions before his recent legal troubles. 

Although the full impact is to be discovered, Bear’s earning potential is likely drastically reduced, calling into question previous wealth estimates. 

This article will analyze Bear’s career, income sources, and net worth before his revenge tape conviction, which changed everything.

Stephen Bear’s net worth and career

Bear’s reported net worth has ranged wildly according to different estimates, likely due to the opaque nature of reality TV salaries and his income from various business ventures. 

Some outlets have cited his net worth at around  £1 million, while others have put it as high as $5 million. Based on his TV appearances, endorsements, memoirs, and other known income sources, a reasonable estimate would put his net worth somewhere between $1-3 million.

Bear first appeared on reality TV in 2011 on Shipwrecked, which helped launch his fame. He later gained more notoriety through appearances on Ex on the Beach in 2015 and 2016, where he was involved in several dramatic storylines. 

His breakthrough came in 2016 when he won Celebrity Big Brother in the UK, raising his public profile substantially. After Big Brother, Bear was able to leverage his celebrity in various TV appearances and business ventures. 

Stephen Bear in ‘Shipwrecked’ (Source: Digital Spy)

He published an autobiography in 2017 that likely earned him a modest income. Additionally, he hosted the tattoo-based show Just Tattoo of Us alongside Charlotte Crosby for two seasons.

 He also competed on MTV’s The Challenge in 2019 and 2020. During this time, he likely earned salaries ranging from tens of thousands to the low six figures through his MTV and other TV deals. 

Bear also made money through sponsored social media posts, earning potentially thousands per post for his over 1 million Instagram followers. In 2020, he created an OnlyFans account sharing explicit content with subscribers that became an additional income stream. 

Through TV salaries, endorsements, business ventures, and more, Bear accrued assets resulting in an estimated $1-3 million net worth – all of which is now threatened by his recent conviction.

Stephen Bear was the winner of Celebrity Big Brother 2016

Bear was one of 15 famous housemates to enter the Big Brother house for the 18th celebrity edition on Day 1. Other notable celebs joining Bear included Aubrey O’Day, Renee Graziano, Ricky Norwood, and Marnie Simpson. 

Throughout the nearly month-long series, Bear established himself as a controversial housemate, often riling up his fellow contestants. By Day 9, he had to eternally face the public vote to leave every week for the remainder of the show.  

Despite being unpopular with the other housemates, He remained confident he would emerge victorious. In the end, Bear defied expectations and won the series, affirming his pre-stated belief that his self-proclaimed positivity would carry him through.

 However, boos rained down when he exited the house to greet his in-house fling Chloe Khan with a kiss. Bear continued to boast about his victory in his post-win interview and dodged questions regarding his antagonistic behavior in the house. 

Ultimately, many viewers felt other housemates were more deserving of the win. But his self-assurance and luck in avoiding the public vote each week somehow paved his way to the finale and helped secure the unlikely victory.

Stephen Bear was convicted as a sex offender

In March 2022, Bear was sentenced to 21 months in prison after being found guilty of voyeurism and disclosing private sexual photos and videos of his ex-partner, Georgia Harrison, without her consent. 

The charges stemmed from CCTV footage Bear filmed of the couple having sex in his backyard in August 2020, which he then uploaded to OnlyFans for profit. 

Bear denied the charges but was convicted after a trial in Chelmsford Crown Court. The jury found him guilty of voyeurism, disclosing private sexual material to cause distress, and harassment without violence. 

Stephen Bear arriving at court for hearing in a Rolls Royce (Source: BBC)

As well as the prison sentence, Bear was ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years and pay over £200,000 in damages to Harrison. In June 2022, the government even announced tougher laws for revenge porn in response to the case.

Further court proceedings are underway in 2023 to determine how much money Bear must repay under the Proceeds of Crime Act. 

The court estimates he earned £22,305 directly from the sex tape. This upcoming judgment will establish the final financial penalties he faces for the criminal conviction.

Stephen Bear, after release from jail

Bear was released from HMP Brixton on January 18th, 2023, after serving half of his 21-month sentence for revenge porn against Harrison. 

Upon leaving prison, the now 34-year-old sported long, shaggy hair and a beard and wore a rosary necklace – looking very different than his usual groomed appearance.  

However, less than a day after his release, paparazzi spotted Bear out getting coffee, having purchased his freedom coffee. He had already completely shaved his beard and cut his long locks, appearing nearly unrecognizable. 

Stephen Bear coming out of the facility he was being held on (Source: Breaking News)

He wore athleisure with sunglasses and seemed eager to resume life on the outside. His family, including parents Linda and Stephen Sr., welcomed him home with a “Happy Birthday” banner as he turned 34 while incarcerated on January 15th. 

They celebrated together with pizza, and his sister Hayley posted a video emphasizing “no one’s hiding under any rock.” 

Sources close to Bear claim he found religion in prison and insists he’s a changed man who wants to focus on his family now, not social media and partying. However, time will tell if this reported transformation lasts. 

So, while Bear may be embracing freedom and shedding his prison image, the reality star has returned to a life very different than the one he left – including a lost relationship. 

And with license monitoring, an ankle tag, and a restraining order protecting his victim, Harrison, consequences will continue plaguing Bear outside of jail.