Martin Lewis: From childhood loss to family man and financial guru beloved by millions

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Financial wizard and Brits’ favourite guru for all things money, Martin Lewis, who is now worth millions, launched his life-changing website Money Saving Expert in 2003 at the cost of just £80. The website focuses on all the aspects of saving money and targets families that struggled to manage finances. Over the years, it has become a website millions across the UK rely on for practical tips and strategies to manage finances.

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Eventually, the Manchester native became a familiar face on TV with The Martin Lewis Money Show on ITV, where he became known for his campaigns against unfair bank charges and unaffordable bills.

The 52-year-old, today, influences millions of people across the country. Life may seem easy for him but there’s more to his journey than you know.

Martin Lewis’ early life, childhood and the tragedy that changed everything

Martin’s journey to becoming a financial expert was marked by a deep personal tragedy. He has described the loss as ‘the defining moment’ of his life, reports Metro.co.uk. His mother, Susan Lewis, died in a horse-riding accident just three days before his 12th birthday.

According to the Mirror, this tragedy affects Martin to this day. A 12-year-old trying to understand the concept of death and losing a parent, Martin struggled a lot in his early childhood. He has gotten emotional over the incident many times. In March 2018, he opened up about it for the first time on Radio 5 Live. He said:

I was told there had been an accident involving a lorry but no one told me how serious it was.

I remember worrying that my mum wouldn’t be there for my birthday. The next day my dad told me that she died that morning and that was the end of my childhood, that moment.

Adding:

My mum was there one day, and she wasn’t the next and that was it. I couldn’t cope with it…I was a little boy. I was a little boy struggling to deal with something that nobody should be dealing with at that age.

Martin shared that he cried every day till he was 15, struggled with intense anxiety and isolated himself socially. He previously also said:

It was all very sudden. None of us expected it. It's still something I don't like talking about. It's too painful to talk about. It affects me now. It affects me deeply. It affects me in my day-to-day life.

As a teenager, he would often pretend to be busy with religious events to avoid social situations. Years later, Martin channelled his pain into helping others and became a patron for the charity Grief Encounter to support young people coping with loss.

Martin Lewis’ family life with wife Lara and daughter Sapphire

Despite the personal challenges, Lewis has built a fulfilling life for himself both professionally and personally.

Martin is married to Lara Lewington, a successful TV presenter and tech journalist known for her work on the BBC’s technology show Click. The couple met around 2005 and married in 2009. Lara has made her mark in the world of technology journalism. Recently, however, she announced that Click, her show of 15 years, would be ending due to BBC budget cuts, reports MailOnline.

Martin and Lara are parents to a daughter, Sapphire Susan Lewis, born in 2012. In a heartfelt blog post after her birth, he wrote: