Martin Lewis says he didn’t leave his house for six years after his mother was killed in a road accident when he was 11.
The Money Saving Expert star tragically lost his mum just before his 12th birthday after she was involved in a tragic accident while horse riding with his sister.
And Manchester-born star Martin, now 48, says he was left scarred by her death.
Opening up on BBC Four’s Desert Island Discs, Martin, who regularly appears on ITV’s This Morning, said his ‘childhood ended that day’.
He also revealed he developed crippling anxiety, leaving him unable to leave the house as he ‘couldn’t cope’ with the thought of something else bad happening.
Martin Lewis says he didn’t leave his house for six years after his mother was killed in a road accident when he was 11 (Image: Martin Lewis/Twitter)
Martin said: ‘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.”
He said he stayed home all the time except when attending school, as he added: “I never left the house, couldn’t leave the house.
“Because I wasn’t at home when it happened to my mum and I couldn’t cope with the thought of leaving the house because something else could happen.”
The star said he ‘couldn’t cope’ after his mother’s death (Image: ITV)
The Jewish star said he would pretend to be busy with religious events to avoid socialising with his peers outside of school.
He added: “It was very difficult because when all my friends from school were going to parties and meeting girls and things like that, which I’d have liked to do, I couldn’t cope with it.
“It was a complete lie, 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 says he’s still not over her death (Image: ITV)
Martin is now a patron of the children’s bereavement charity Grief Encounter. This aims to support and help children and their families deal with the pain caused by the death of someone close.
The money guru previously spoke about his grief in a previous interview on Loose Women. He admitted he found it difficult to open up about the ordeal for decades.
He said: “‘It changed the way I act and behave. It was devastating. We didn’t know what to do.
“My father, my sister and I were incredibly wounded for such a long time.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
