Martin Lewis has reacted after being shown his first ever appearance on This Morning on his 20th anniversary.
He also praised ITV for “supporting consumerism television”, and accused the BBC of relegating the broadcast of similar shows “in the middle of a cost of living crisis”.
“I know we shouldn’t say things like this,” he said, before thanking ITV for giving him an opportunity to share his expertise. “Quite right,” Willoughby replied.
The Independent has contacted the BBC for comment.
Money savings expert Lewis, 50, has appeared on the ITV daytime show every week since 2003 and, to celebrate the ocassion, hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby showed him a clip of his debut.
Lewis made a mark with his first appearance, which was alongside Schofield and former co-host Fern Britton.
After delivering his advice in response to a caller asking about her phone bills, an impressed Schofield said: “You need to come back.”
Lewis wrote ahead of his appearance: “I’m in @thismorning today as unbelievably its the 20th anniversary of my first appearance. Intrigued to see the clip of that first time...”
When he was shown the clip, Lewis said: “I looked quite handsome! I wish I’d known.”
He then revealed he was days away from “giving up” his career before scoring a role on This Morning as he was told: “Money doesn’t work on television.”
He said two days later, during a chance encounter with a producer while speaking on a Radio 5 debate pogramme, he was asked to be on the ITV series. Fortunately, his debut went very well.
“After we bust the phone lines, four hours later, I got the call saying, ‘We'd like you on every week’ – and I burst into tears,” Lewis recalled.
Schofield told him: “We’re very proud that we found you – you’ve been incredibly successful.”
Lewis has presented The Martin Lewis Money Show Live for ITV since 2012.
