FROM MONK TO MILLIONAIRE

He officiated at Ben and J Lo's wedding and regularly goes hiking with Will Smith. How did Jay Shetty transform himself from an ultra-shy boy from London to Hollywood's go-to guru?

- GUY KELLY

I CAN'T help but feel some trepidation before the bill arrives during my lunch with Jay Shetty. It's not that he's stitched me up with the venue, I chose the place. Nor have we been gluttons - he's a former Hindu monk with a small, vegan-from-LA appetite and I'm a writer on a very limited budget.

It's just that, from what I've heard, breaking bread with this particular monk-turned-social-media-guru turned-multimillionaire life coach to the stars, doesn't always come cheap.

Specifically, it can cost £1 032,70 (R21 686,70) plus a transaction fee. At least, that's the price of the top-tier "Ultimate Dinner with Jay Shetty VIP Package" at his upcoming London Palladium shows themselves part of a 33-date world speaking tour to accompany his latest book, 8 Rules of Love: How to Find It, Keep It and Let It Go.

For that amount you can enjoy not just an "intimate special group dinner...curated by Jay himself", but also an "exclusive meet and greet and individual photo opportunity", plus there's a "preshow meditation" and assorted other treats, including an autographed book, "swag bag", and commemorative lanyard. At the time of writing, tickets were still available.

I mention this over lunch. Jay (35) takes a long sip of ginger tea and nods with gratitude.

"So, he begins, "first of all I'd say that a lot of that is decided by teams trying to make things work. Tours are very not-profitable ventures at this scale. I don't think if my motive was financial I'd be going on tour. It's hectic, it's exhausting and it's not financially rewarding for the amount of effort that goes in.

"There's so much that goes on behind the scenes for a show you see led by one person, who you think is the sole benefactor. It just doesn't work that way."