The Apprentice judge Tim Campbell shared his life story and difficult upbringing in poverty before his big break on the BBC show.
Tim described his home set up, consisting of his mother, a single parent, him and his two siblings.
“It was all about the need to make ends meet,” Tim told thisismoney.co.uk. “Money was scarce – my mum was a single parent with three children to look after.”
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He added: My dad had a record store in Hackney market, London, but he didn’t want to be in our lives and made no financial contribution to our upbringing.”
(Image: BBC)
He continued: “I didn’t want to put any pressure on Mum because I knew she didn’t have the money to help me. At one point, I couldn’t even afford a Pot Noodle.”
Tim said his mum was “frugal” and would only by from supermarkets that had discounted deals so that she had enough money to pay the household bills with.
Tim went on to describe his part-time job at Transport for London as a “great motivator” for working hard.
(Image: PA)
In 2005, he joined The Apprentice, as series he went on to become the first winner of. Tim then joined Lord Sugar’s AMSTRAD company on a £100,000 salary, which was the prize in the earlier series’ rather than the £250,000 investment winner’s get now.
After two years at the company, Tim left to start up his own charity, Bright Ideas Trust, which helps young people set up their own business.
(Image: BBC/Boundless/Ray Burmiston)
No longer struggling to make ends meet, Tim recalls his first big purchase as a car worth a whopping £50,000.
“A white Mercedes-AMG GLE, three years ago. It cost more than £50,000,” he beamed. “I still have it and I love driving it. I’m also partial to nice watches which cost a few thousand pounds – and I love a well-made suit.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
