Martin Lewis was left emotional after a couple said he'd "saved their lives" when they were in £30,000 debt and their dad suffered a major brain injury. Mr Lewis was visibly moved by a clip shown during The Martin Lewis Show on ITV which showed the MoneySavingExpert meeting couple Emma and Nick back in 2017. Emma explained that her partner suffered a major brain injury in a motorcycle accident seven years previously which left him in hospital for nine weeks and unable to work.
Emma explained that Nick suffered regular seizures and severe memory loss and that following the MoneySavingExpert's advice closely had helped them turn their finances around. She said the couple had nearly £30,000 worth of debt at the time of his accident but were now debt free.
"It hasn't been fun but you saved my life at the time," she told Mr Lewis. "I used every hint and tip that you had, I've sold all my gold jewellery, credit card switches, I've done utility switches - everything."
Emma added: "So thank you very much," she said while partner Nick said: "Thank you."
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Mr Lewis responded in the clip saying it was "wonderful" and that he was sorry for the "terrible tragedy" the couple had experienced. "Often when I do talks about debt, many people think that debt problems are a symptoms of overspending and being feckless," he said. "That's a horrible word, feckless. I always make the point - most debt problems come from a change of circumstances, and you're a classic example in a horrible and tragic way."
Emma said she'd worked as a bank manager before the couple had their two sons while Nick was an industrial roofer before his accident. She said the debt "didn't seem unmanageable. It was fine, it was just something we were dealing with it, and then all of a sudden it was 'oh my goodness, how on earth do you pay this back when you've got nothing coming in'?
"I'm now Nick's carer so neither of us are able to work, so it's been hard but you've really helped."
Reacting to the clip on Tuesday, which marked the 10th anniversary of the show, Mr Lewis was visibly emotional and said: "Quite tough to watch that, I find." Later in the show a clip was played catching up with Nick, Emma and their two sons who are now 12 and 17.
Emma revealed the couple were still debt-free and had just four years left on their mortgage. She said their older son would be starting uni soon and that they would be looking at Mr Lewis' tips ahead of time. "The first thing that we'll do when student finance comes around is look at all of Martin's hints and tips - it's always the first thing we do whence have anything financial to look at."
Nick's injury means he doesn't remember events from before the accident such as his and Emma's wedding day or the birth of their children. But Emma said they were focused on "making memories" together and Nick added that they had taken "tens of thousands of photos" on his phone. "So if somebody says what was that holiday like I can look back through my phone and see the pictures and try to recall what happened and what I did."
Nick added that he struggled to recall what happened on Mr Lewis' show even though he watched it. "I know that Emma follows him all the time and we've saved a lot of money and gained a lot of things from it. It's definitely made a difference and we're very grateful to him. I hope he keeps up the good work," he said.
Reacting to the clip, Mr Lewis was again emotional and said: "I find it quite moving actually, but it's Emma is the hero with that. You are amazing, I think you probably know more about saving money than I do." He said he hoped the couple's story could give hope to others faced with debt. "Look at that situation and they've got through it and are getting on with their lives through all of those difficulties.
"I find it absolutely uplifting and inspiring."
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