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The best of Fame and Fortune 2018: Henry Blofeld, Stephen Hendry and Judy Murray share their money regrets
Cricket commentator Henry Blofeld is among the famous faces who shared stories of their money tribulations with us in 2018 Credit: Andrew Boyers/Action Images
Sam Meadows
31 December 2018 • 7:55pm
Ken Livingstone
Celebrities' stories of their money highs – and lows – have yet again raised eyebrows in our weekly Fame and Fortune column.
This year's crop of the rich and famous has included stars of the screen like Timothy West, sports sensations like golfer Laura Davies and footballer John Fashanu, and some controversial characters such as Nick Freeman, the lawyer better known as "Mr Loophole".
As their stories attest, becoming wealthy and successful can bring great happiness, but it can also lead to massive lows. This year's stories included a sports star who coached the crown prince of Brunei and a television presenter whose trust in banks was shattered by a £120,000 fraud.
Here are some of the highlights of 2018:
In January, former footballer John Fashanu, a member of the "Crazy Gang" Wimbledon team featuring Vinnie Jones, recalled how a goal bonus in his contract had turned him into a "monster" and caused fights on the training ground.
He explained: "If we won a penalty in a match, I had to take it. If Dennis Wise was about to score a tap in, I would push him out of the way so I could score the goal myself."
Lawyer-turned-comedian Bob Mortimer must have caused trouble for his parents as a child. He revealed in February that at the age of seven he accidentally burned down his mother's house. To make matters worse, it wasn't insured.
He said: "It was devastating for us. We were split up and lived with various relatives for a while. We did eventually return to the house, but it financially crippled her."
Timothy West with his wife Prunella Scales Credit: Andrew Crowley
Acclaimed actor Timothy West, who has starred in Eastenders and Coronation Street, told us how he subsidised his time at London's Old Vic theatre with a well-paid sherry commercial.
"For four hours' work on a Saturday morning I was paid exactly the equivalent of my annual salary."
Gloria Hunniford, the presenter of Rip Off Britain, told us she was earning £8 a week at the age of 10 by singing alongside her father. But she also opened up about being scammed out of £120,000 of her savings and said this had caused her to lose faith in high-street banks.
Gloria Hunniford at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2016 Credit: Stuart C Wilson/Getty Images
Also in March, Linda Nolan, one fifth of the Seventies pop sensation The Nolan Sisters, talked about finding fame at a Blackpool hotel before leaving the band after falling out with her family over husband Brian's role as manager.
She said: "At first my sisters wouldn't even agree that I should get a share of the royalties for the hits we'd had."
Former Labour Mayor of London Ken Livingstone kicked off April by defending paying corporation tax instead of income tax on some of his earnings. He also explained why he turned down £250,000 to appear on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!.
He said: "I thought [the money] would come in useful, but my kids said, 'We don't want to see you naked on the telly, Dad.' I regret saying no because that would have helped the kids get [house] deposits."
Explorer Sir Chris Bonington shared the unlikely tale of how he and his team secured sponsorship for a tilt at Everest from a tobacco company and the London Rubber Company, better known by its brand name, Durex.
He said: "We had six sponsors, but were still £7,000-£8,000 short so we had to discuss the ethics of taking money from Rothmans, the cigarette brand. Several members of the team smoked like chimneys, so we took it."
Nick Freeman arrives at court alongside England international cricketer Freddie Flintoff Credit: Peter Byrne/PA
Controversial lawyer Nick "Mr Loophole" Freeman said getting Sir Alex Ferguson off a ticket for driving in the hard shoulder meant the high-profile clients came running.
"David Beckham was charged with speeding in his Ferrari and he came to me. I thought, wow, this is really going somewhere. After that the high-end work just seemed to roll in," he said.
Judy Murray, mother and coach of world number one tennis players Andy and Jamie, told us how having two sons playing an individual sport put an extreme strain on her finances.
"If my kids had been exceptional at a team sport like football, a club would have signed them up and paid them a wage," she said. "To this day I'm not sure if the boys know the horrendous financial stress I was under."
Later in the year, BBC presenter Michelle Ackerley bemoaned the housing crisis which means that, even as a television presenter, she is unable to buy a home.
She said: "I'm working out whether I'll get somewhere myself or perhaps I'll buy the property with my mum and we'll do it between us. A lot of people pool resources to get on the ladder."
BBC presenter Michelle Ackerley is struggling to buy a house Credit: Karwai Tang/Wire Image
Cricket legend Henry "Blowers" Blofeld spoke about his early, short-lived career as a stockbroker – during which he had just one major success – and losing £100,000 investing in a luxury resort in Australia.
And a spate of bizarre stories from snooker star Stephen Hendry rounded off the year, including how he bought a £17,000 Mercedes before passing his driving test, was paid to teach the crown prince of Brunei snooker and was given a pickled monkey by the artist Damien Hirst.
He said: "He promised that, if I beat John Higgins in that year's world championship, he would give me a monkey in a Perspex box.
"True to his word, when I did indeed win the final, he presented me with a marmoset monkey, pickled in formaldehyde, and dressed as a snooker player with a cue in its paw. It sits on my sofa horrifying and intriguing guests in equal measure."
You can read all of this year's interviews by clicking here.
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