Actor and comedian Jessie Cave says she has made more money from one year of sharing hairbrushing videos on OnlyFans than she has done throughout her “entire acting career”.

The performer, 39, who is best known for her role as Lavender Brown in the Harry Potter films, started to post videos showing herself brushing her long hair on the social media platform last year, after dealing with rejection in the entertainment industry and struggling financially.

Cave was clear from the start that her account would not be “a sexual one” and would instead focus on “sensual” videos of her hair.

Speaking to The Times, Cave, who shares four children with comedian fiance Alfie Brown, said that she had reached “a point of complete desperation” after being rejected from an audition.

“I couldn’t go and, say, work in a supermarket because I can’t afford the childcare, and also I don’t want people shouting Harry Potter spells at me as I work at Tesco,” she told the paper.

“I could retrain but I can’t afford to do a degree. I had a breakdown and I thought, that’s it with acting, I give up. But also we have no money. It was a point of complete desperation.”