Martin Lewis has pointed out what can be a big problem when it comes to your household finances. He warned people in relationships in particular against keeping a financial secret to yourself.
On a recent edition of his BBC podcast, Mr Lewis asked his fans to send in their experiences of the biggest money secret they had ever kept from someone. One person wrote in to share how they had splashed out on an expensive olive tree at Chelsea Flower Show about 10 years ago.
Yet they told their husband they had won the greenery item in a raffle. Mr Lewis used this anecdote as an opportunity to point to a potential problem with keeping your financial details hidden from your partner.
He warned: “Hidden debts are a really big problem. You need to come clean about your debt, because any joint problems, it can affect the credit score of the other person as well, if you’ve got any joint accounts.”
Financial support group Money Wellness recently released it 2026 Debt Advice Insights report. The group advised more than 100,000 people over the first three months of 20256, with a fifth of queries coming from people who are married or in a civil partnership.
The team noticed a sharp increase in the number of people reaching out for help over the Easter bank holiday 2026, compared to last year. There was a 13.3 per cent increase, with 12,706 people reaching out for help.
Sebrina McCullough, director of external relations at Money Wellness, said: “The figures over Easter show just how much pressure households are under. Rising bills in April, along with higher petrol and grocery prices, have left many people worrying about how they’ll make ends meet.
“Our advisers are seeing people reach breaking point, and demand for free, professional support continues to grow. If energy prices continue to rise and inflation and interest rates increase further, we could see even more households struggling in the months ahead. For thousands of financially vulnerable families, this could point to a very difficult winter ahead.”
Some tips from the group if you are struggling with debt include to closely monitor your finances. Money Wellness has a budgeting calculator to help you compare your income with your essential outgoings, such as you rent or mortgage, groceries, and transport costs.
On this note, another piece of advice from the group is to focus on paying your essential bills first, and then to look at your high-interest debts, such as credit cards or payday loans.