Lianne Young
Lianne Young
Occupation: Sex and Relationship Counsellor at House of Ardent
Location: London, United Kingdom
The Sex In My Business: At House of Ardent, I counsel adult movie stars from around the world. My goals are to motivate and inspire people to find themselves in sex and relationships after sex work, and to help sex workers use their skill sets and experiences to rebuild confidence and overcome any obstacles they may face in life and relationships after sex work. I also volunteer to work alongside the Metropolitan Police’s Sexual Assault Unit here in London to combat criminal activity in pornographic productions.
A Typical Day: My days vary a lot, if and when I am needed. I am available 24 hours a day for emergency calls, so my phone is always on. The first thing I do when I get up is make coffee and check emails. I work alongside the Adult Performance Artists Guild in the United States, and the guild’s president, Alana Evans, sends me messages identifying those who require my assistance, and then I contact them. Some days I am not needed on the counselling side, which gives me time to catch up and write articles about sex and relationships for one of the national papers.
The Best Part: The best part of my day is when someone thanks me for helping them. When I hear sadness turning into laughter and positivity it makes me smile and gives me a fantastic feeling of warmth.
The Worst Part: This has to be learning about the verbal harassment and abuse my clients often experience that tip them over the edge. I generally try to stay away from social media and other spaces where such exchanges occur. I have no time for people who judge others on how they behave, live or support themselves. Everyone is unique and I really wish people would learn to respect this.
How I Got Here: Twenty years ago, I was an adult actress myself. I was known as the “queen of porn.” After I retired in 2001, I studied with the Family Planning Association in different areas of sex education. Then, in 2002, I started my mainstream TV career, appearing on shows such as The James Whale Radio Show (2008-2013), The Jeremy Kyle Show (2005-2019), The Trisha Goddard Show (2012-2014), How to Have Sex After Marriage (2007-2008) and several other productions as a sex and relationships advisor and pornography expert.
What Society Thinks: I have been called all sorts of names over the years by people and the press, but I know the next day it will be yesterday’s news. I guess I used to worry about going into mainstream work with a past in the adult industry, but I never found it difficult. I thrive on proving people wrong and watching their faces change as I help them understand sex. My family is amazingly supportive and asks questions about my work. Sex is not a taboo subject in my house.
When I’m Not At Work: I love to travel. I have been all over the world — I feel that we learn so much from doing so. Exercise is also a passion of mine. My body is my temple!
Published in Issue VI: Identity