A former teacher swapped the classroom to earn up to $100,000 a year as a professional cuddler — and only works three hours a day.

Ella Love, 51, from New York, ditched her teaching profession after 13 years because it became “stressful” and “overwhelming”.

She found out about professional cuddling through an article and took a $300 course. After starting part-time, she made it her full-time job eight years ago, spending her days cuddling people for up to nine hours at a time.

Ella charges $150 an hour for a session and can take home up to $100,000 a year — typically working for just three hours a day.

She says clients often make emotional confessions to her that they have “never told anyone.”

Ella said, “My average client is a middle-aged man with a well-paying job — and a lot of them are married. They don’t want to cheat or leave their partner, but there’s no intimacy.

“They’ve grown apart, there are communication problems, and they feel completely disconnected. They come to me because they still want to stay in their marriage — they just need touch and someone to talk to.

“People think they’re just paying for a hug, but that’s not what happens. The touch activates suppressed emotions.

“They suddenly start remembering things, opening up, telling me things they’ve never said out loud before. It becomes a very intense therapeutic experience.”

The former art teacher discovered professional cuddling in 2017 after becoming overwhelmed in a stressful New York school.

She said, “I teach in urban public schools where the majority are students of color and we had a lot of systemic problems in America.

“The stress came from large class sizes, not having time for anything, discipline problems, limited funds for materials… it’s extremely different in America.”

Ella was earning $80,000 a year as a teacher, working at least eight hours a day.

She said, “I was looking for something with a completely different energy, something calming and centering. I wasn’t thinking this would become my career.

“I just wanted something that would help regulate my nervous system alongside teaching.”

But after taking an online course and trying it part-time, she quickly realized she had found her calling.

She said, “Within six months, I loved it so much that I took a sabbatical and never went back. By that winter, I was doing it full-time and I’ve now been doing it for eight years.”

Despite the intimate nature of her work, Ella insists it is strictly platonic — with firm rules in place.

She said, “I interview all my clients and not everyone gets accepted. There’s a code of conduct and very clear boundaries.

“When I first started, some people would try to push those boundaries, but I would stop them and remind them of the rules. It was hard to know which clients you shouldn’t take, but you soon get to know.

“You have a feeling if they are in it for the wrong motive.”

Ella says that while she feels safe with her clients, arousal on their part can occur.

She said, “If a client gets aroused, you have to remind them it’s just a physiological response — it can happen. I tell them it’s natural but you cannot act on it. You breathe, you change position, and you move on. That’s part of the professionalism.”

Ella says she typically works just three hours a day, but sessions range from one hour to as long as nine hours.

She said, “It varies a lot. Some people come for an hour, others for 90 minutes or two hours. I’ve had sessions that lasted nine hours. It does require disposable income, so some clients come regularly and others save up to come occasionally.”

She says her earnings can reach $100,000 in a strong year, though average closer to $60,000. Beyond the money, she says the work is deeply emotional, and sometimes complicated.

But she makes it clear it is not “a romantic relationship”.

Ella also works with clients who struggle with physical interaction, including some on the autism spectrum.

She said, “For some people, this is the first time they’ve experienced safe, consensual touch. They might struggle with eye contact or connection, and this gives them a space to learn that. It is a safe environment where people can practice.”

Despite growing awareness of professional cuddling, Ella says many clients still keep it secret.

She said, “Most people don’t tell anyone they come to see me. There’s still a stigma around it, which is a shame.”

The job has also made her own love life more complicated.

She said, “It takes a very confident and trusting partner to date me.

“Some of my relationships have worked, but it can bring up jealousy because the work is so intimate and emotional.

“Luckily in the relationships I have been with they know that it is only work, and completely different to when I cuddle them.

“The connection I have with clients is completely different from a romantic relationship. With my clients, it’s one-sided, I’m there for them and their needs. In a relationship, it’s mutual. It’s a totally different dynamic.

“The touch is actually a small part of it. The real work is emotional intimacy, vulnerability and trust. Not everyone needs a professional cuddler, but everyone deserves someone they can feel safe with.”