Martin Lewis takes over ITV Soccer Aid to deliver 'important information' to viewers in interruption

Martin Lewis, the Money Saving Expert, had to interrupt ITV's Soccer Aid on Sunday night with an "important" message for viewers. The star-studded event, hosted by Dermot O'Leary and Alex Scott, was taken over by Martin who said: "Hello to everyone watching Soccer Aid. I'm sorry to interrupt, but I have some important information."

His interruption wasn't about switching banks or getting financial help, but rather to ensure that people maximised their donations during the event, which raised money for UNICEF. The 52 year old revealed that charities across the UK miss out on hundreds of millions pounds in unclaimed Gift Aid every year. Urging the public to donate to UNICEF, Martin pleaded with them to "say yes to Gift Aid''.

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He explained: "When most people are paid, 20 per cent of tax is usually taken off", reports the Express.. He added: "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. And there's more. If you're a higher 40 per cent rate taxpayer, 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 presenter concluded his segment by once again encouraging viewers to opt for Gift Aid if they were going to donate to UNICEF. The all-star charity football match took place at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge. Ex-Chelsea star and manager Frank Lampard teamed up with Harry Redknapp and Robbie Williams as England's manager in an exciting match against Mauricio Pochettino, who reprised his role as the Soccer Aid World XI manager.

The celebrity-filled line-up featured cricket icon Stuart Broad, I'm A Celebrity's Sam Thompson, Strictly Come Dancing's Bobby Brazier and former EastEnders actor Danny Dyer. The World XI team included Roman Kemp, Usain Bolt, Martin Compston and Lee Mack lacing up their boots. Meanwhile, ITV and TalkSport commentator Sam Matterface returned to the commentary box alongside Love Island's narrator Iain Stirling.

However, for the first time since 2018, it was a victorious night for the England team who ended up lifting the trophy after a spectacular 5-3 win, which saw Usain Bolt stretchered off the pitch in the game's final moments.

Since its launch in 2006, the event has raised a remarkable £90 million for charity, providing aid to countries like Cambodia. Despite only having five victories in the last 18 years, England's most recent triumph was in 2018. This year alone, it managed to raise an additional £15 million, bringing the total raised to £105 million.