Martin Lewis is getting a special BAFTA for being Britainâs most trusted TV money expert(Image: ITV)
As Martin Lewis was revealed as the recipient of this yearâs BAFTA Special Award, he insisted that he would rather âwire my nipples to electrodesâ than ever go into politics.
While he is happy to discuss policy decisions with any Chancellor, he said he would never quit his role as the nationâs most trusted money expert to join a political party. But he confessed he might âstep awayâ from some of the more taxing live reporting before too long, admitting: âI donât know how much longer I can do it.â
On the prospect of launching a political career, he said: âNo official parties have asked. Over the years there have been new parties setting up and they come and say âlisten weâre looking for a party leaderâ and I tend to say âI would prefer to wire my nipples to electrodes â not in a pleasant way â than go into politics. Iâm not sure I could be any clearer!
Martin and Jeannette on their hit ITV show(Image: ITV)
âItâs not going to happen. One of the reasons I think I manage to retain a connection with people is that I have no fear and no favour. I will criticise or commend any government and any party.â
His BAFTA award, presented annually to an individual or organisation that has made an outstanding contribution to television, is in recognition of his lasting impact on British consumers and public life.
Martin, 53, is widely regarded as the most trusted man on British television when it comes to the nationâs spending habits â with BAFTA calling him âa broadcast journalist and campaigner who has fundamentally changed the way the nation thinks about moneyâ.
Through his consumer website MoneySavingExpert.com, which he launched 26 years ago, his long-running ITV series The Martin Lewis Money Show, and expert roles on Good Morning Britain and This Morning, he has empowered millions of people with the confidence to take control of their finances.
But looking to the future, the dad-of-one confessed he did not think he could continue forever because of the huge responsibility he feels in getting it right all the time.
At a press conference to announce his BAFTA honour, he said: âIâm not going to do this forever, because Iâm not immortal. I donât know how much longer I can keep doing it in the way I do it. My co-presenter, the brilliant Jeanette Kwakye, is a former Olympic athlete and what I do, talking about product and having to know a lot of current rates, is like being an athlete and constantly training to keep that in your head.
âOn 5 Live youâve got to be able to produce it and thatâs very difficult. If I go on holiday it takes three weeks to get back in shape. I donât think I can keep doing that, so at some point Iâll probably step away from that ability to be able to do open phone-ins.â
He said he hoped to try his hand at other TV shows. âIf we could ever find the right vehicle, I love gameshows and quizzes, all that type of stuff. But what I do is so important. By luck and fortune Iâm in a role that, if I went I donât think there is anyone who could replicate it, not for a few years anyway.
