Martin Lewis was months away from quitting his job in financial journalism and facing his own money struggles when he got his big break in the industry.
The UK's top money saving expert, 50, appeared on This Morning on Thursday as he celebrates 20 years of dishing out crucial advice to the nation.
The much-loved journalist was looking back on his career with ITV hosts Phil Schofield and Holly Willoughby after making his first TV appearance on the show back in 2003.
Opening up about his own journey to success, Martin told Holly and Phil that tried for two years but almost gave up on his dream to get his own slot on the popular ITV daytime programme. They told him that "money doesn't work on TV."
Martin went on to say: "I felt that that was really missing out there so I had this idea at the time it would be interesting... so I went into money journalism and personal finance journalism. But I was very close to giving up being money saving expert.
"Before I came along money journalism was about was about investment and it was a bit woo if you talked mortgages never mind gas and electricity bills or anything like that - and the television money stuff was about spending. It was actually impulse control."
The financial legend explained that, after eventually getting some work at first within the media, it didn't last long. He ended having a discussion with his father over lunch and expressed his concerns about where his career was going.
Martin added: "I said this is getting ridiculous. I'm not sure this will work on television I keep going to people and they say 'money doesn't work on television'. I've been asking This Morning for two years, my agent had been getting in touch and they say it's just not going to happen.
"I said to my dad I'm going to give it two months more and I'm going to have to quit."
Phillip Schofield then asked him: "Where did you go?" Martin explained he had to go into financial PR saying: "I was getting quite close to that point I couldn't pay the bills. I covered it... just."
But two days after the conversation with his father, Martin was invited onto a Radio 5 debate programme which Martin said "went really well" and soon he'd signed a regular contract with the station.
"I went home and I got the call and I burst into tears," added Martin.
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