Martin Lewis interrupts ITV's Soccer Aid with 'important' message

Martin Lewis, the Money Saving Expert, had to interrupt ITV's Soccer Aid with an "important" message for viewers. The star-studded event, hosted by Dermot O'Leary and Alex Scott, aired on Sunday evening (June 9), raising millions for charity.

During the coverage, Martin began: "Hello to everyone watching Soccer Aid. I'm sorry to interrupt, but I have some important information."

Instead of his usual advice on switching bank accounts or cutting household bills, the financial guru revealed that charities across the UK miss out on hundreds of millions pounds in unclaimed Gift Aid every year.

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Encouraging the public to donate to UNICEF that evening, Martin urged them to "say yes to Gift Aid''. He explained how the process works, saying: "When most people are paid, 20 per cent of tax is usually taken off. " He continued: "But Gift Aid means donate to charity and the charity gets your money and that tax back.

"Say yes to Gift Aid tonight and donate £20 to UNICEF and it becomes £25 - an extra fiver at no cost at all to you." Martin added: "And there's more", reports the Liverpool Echo.

"If you're a higher 40 per cent rate tax payer, UNICEF still gets the 25 per cent boost, but you can claim some further tax back which you could then donate too."

The Good Morning Britain star ended his segment by once again urging viewers to say yes to Gift Aid. The charity football match was held at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge.

Former Chelsea star and manager, Frank Lampard, teamed up with Harry Redknapp and Robbie Williams to manage England in a thrilling match against fellow former Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino's Soccer Aid World XI.

The glittering line-up featured cricket legend Stuart Broad, I'm A Celebrity's Sam Thompson, Strictly Come Dancing's Bobby Brazier and ex-EastEnders actor Danny Dyer.

World XI team boasted names like Roman Kemp, Usain Bolt, Martin Compston and Lee Mack. ITV and TalkSport commentator Sam Matterface returned to the commentary box, joined by Love Island's narrator Iain Stirling.

However, for the first time since 2018, it was a victorious night for the England team who lifted the trophy after an impressive 5-3 win, a game that saw Usain Bolt stretchered off the pitch in the final moments.

Since its launch in 2006, the event has raised a remarkable £90 million for charity, providing aid to countries such as Cambodia. Despite only having five victories in the last 18 years, England's most recent triumph was in 2018.

This year alone, the event managed to raise an additional £15 million, bringing the total raised to £105 million.