Martin Lewis, Money Saving Expert founder and finance guru, is a familiar face on British telly.
The multi-millionaire regularly appears on shows such as This Morning, Lorraine and Good Morning Britain, and also hosts his own ITV programme, The Martin Lewis Money Show.
Tonight (February 21), he’ll host a 90-minute special of his money show all about pensions.
Away from TV, fans might not realise that trauma in his childhood shaped the man he is today.
Money expert Martin Lewis on tragedy
Martin has previously spoken about losing his mother in a tragic accident.
Just a few days before his 12th birthday, Martin’s mum Susan and his sister were horse riding when they were in an accident involving a lorry.
Susan died in hospital.
The TV presenter spoke about the loss and the impact it had on him during an episode of Desert Island Discs in 2020.
Presenter said his ‘childhood ended that day’
He told host Lauren Laverne: “My mum was there one day and she wasn’t the next and that was it. This was 1984 and you didn’t have counselling. My childhood ended that day and I am still not over it.”
Meanwhile, Martin was on Good Morning Britain in 2019 after becoming a patron for the charity Grief Encounter.
Speaking to hosts Kate Garraway and Susanna Reid on the ITV daytime show, Martin said his mum’s death was “very sudden”. And more than 30 years later, it was still something he struggled to talk about.
My childhood ended that day and I am still not over it.
He said: “It took me a very long time to recover from that. I worked with the charity but when they asked me to be a patron it took me a few months to decide.
“[That’s] because I can’t talk about it, and the reason I became a patron is so that in 30 years, when somebody in my position is asked about it, they will have had the counselling and the work to be able to sit here and not be in the discomfort I’m in now.”
Martin on losing his mum
Speaking on Radio 5 Live in 2018, Martin explained how, tragically, he hadn’t known how serious his mother’s condition was.
He said during the interview that no one told him, adding: “I remember worrying that my mum wouldn’t be there for my birthday.”
Read more: Money expert Martin Lewis halts show after being ‘triggered’ live on air
The next day, however, his dad Stuart informed him she had succumbed to her injuries.
Martin said it was “the end of his childhood” and he “cried every day” until he was 15.
Martin is back on screens tonight for his money show.
The Martin Lewis Money Show Live will air from 8pm to 9:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
Will you be watching the show? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.