Sir Martyn:Why i joined Generation Rent... at 72

VeterAn newsreader Sir martyn Lewis — who famously delivered the first bulletin on Princess Diana’s death — has turned his back on the property-owning classes and renounced home ownership.

‘I don’t own a stick,’ he says. ‘I know it sounds weird for someone like me at my age, but I don’t own my own house. I rent.’

Sir martyn, 72, was living in a £ 4 million period property in Kensington when he decided to downsize with his second wife, vivacious Pr executive Patsy Baker. ‘I was going to buy another house but then, I thought, what is the point? the original plan was to downsize, but we got to thinking: “Why are we buying?”

‘So just before Brexit we sold our house. now I’ve got nothing.’

Sir martyn has two daughters from his first marriage to former model Liz Carse, who died in 2012 after being struck down with dementia — singer- songwriter, Sylvie, and Katie, who works in tV and film production.

‘I don’t worry about their inheritance,’ he adds. ‘I think I’ve done the right thing. Since Brexit, Central London house prices have

dipped about 15 per cent and are falling in value. I got out at the right time and the kids will do better.

‘ I’m going away at Easter to Spain and people automatically assumed I had my own villas there, but I am happy to say I don’t own any property anywhere in the world.’

Swansea-born Sir Martyn has just set up his new business, Your Big Day, a greetings service that sends personalised videos, which he narrates, BBC news style, marking specific historic dates.

He is aghast at his old employer for encouraging staff to form companies so they could be treated as freelancers, leaving many of them now facing large back- dated tax demands from HMRC. ‘ I do think that if the BBC advised these people to set up their own companies, the BBC has an obligation to come up with financial support for them when they’re in trouble because of the BBC advice. I think the BBC should play fair on that.’