'Man for Hire', Sky News Online

Friday, June 20, 2008

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One Man's Life As An Escort By James Silver

I meet "Claret Knight" in a deserted Turkish café on Borough High Street, just south of London Bridge.

While his colourful alias conjures up an image of a smoking-jacket-wearing 70s throwback with a speaking voice like the dragon from the Listerine commercials, in the flesh "Mr Knight" suits his real name, John, rather better.

Tall, balding and fit, nothing about his appearance betrays his unusual line of work as "an independent male escort for women".

He is also softly-spoken, introspective and listens carefully to my questions.

Maybe these are the qualities which appeal to his clients - mostly successful women in their mid-thirties and older.

Last week saw the publication of a memoir by a self-proclaimed London "gigolo" called "Golden".

In an interview with The Times, its "floppy haired" 30-year-old author painted a glitzy world of expensive restaurants, exclusive nightclubs and women who know exactly what they want - namely, a dashing trophy toy-boy on their arm.

"I provide the fun and frolics," Golden bragged to the interviewer, "(the client) provides the credit card."

However, 43-year-old John paints a picture of a rather more mundane lifestyle than Golden's champagne-fuelled "frolics".

For one thing, he has no truck with the word "gigolo".

"It has sleazy connotations," he says. "In my experience it's also a bit of a myth.

"They don't really exist. At least, I haven't really come across any in London."

Then there's the sex issue. John declines to answer whether he has sex with his clients and decided not to use the word on his website.

"It would just give the wrong impression," he says.

Anyway, he continues, the bulk of his job involves accompanying women to social events or business meetings.

"I'd never really thought about becoming an escort until one of the women I used to coach at tennis asked me if I would escort her to a black-tie do," he recalls.

"When I said yes, she asked me how much I wanted? I said I'd do it for nothing, but she insisted on paying me for my time.

"She made enquiries about the going rate and said 'Is £500 okay?' That really put the idea in my head."

Today, John is frequently hired by his clients to pose as their partner.

"A lot of women ask me to escort them to weddings or work events as their 'boyfriend'," he says.

"They want to be seen with someone in public. There's still a real stigma about women turning up to things alone.

"And having me there can also be a way of deflecting unwanted attention."

But posing as a boyfriend at social events can be fraught with risk and leave him fending off questions by a client's over-inquisitive friends and relatives.

"A lot of being an escort is about acting. So if I'm pretending to be their boyfriend I have to remember how we met, what job I do etc.

"My memory isn't great, which is why I tell [the client] to keep the story simple.

"And if other guests start asking questions I have to improvise. But the one thing I never admit to is being an escort.

"That's the absolute corner-stone of the business. Discretion is paramount. I never discuss clients."

Yet while he refuses to discuss individual clients, John, who charges £700 for an "evening and overnight" in his company, is very open about the business side of being an escort.

"This is a business so it's pointless keeping it under wraps," he says.

"You have to advertise yourself, you have to build up your clientele. You've got to target people you know.

"Word gets around basically. At the same time, you can't go around telling literally everyone because some people will take offence."

When I ask him to describe the strangest requests he has had from clients over the years, he doesn't hesitate.

"One woman asked me to come round to polish her silverware. Never having polished silver before I didn't really know what to do.

"But I got on with it and she just sat and watched me.

"I've also been hired as a dog-sitter. A woman had been let down and needed someone at short notice.

"It has to be said that I'm not the cheapest dog-sitter in the world."

I wonder if he understands women any better now than before he started working as an escort?

"I am more responsive to them and pick up on their needs more quickly," he says without a hint of irony.

"But deep down they are still very much a mystery."

www.claretknight.co.uk

Posted by James Silver - On Friday, June 20, 2008

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