I’m Britain’s richest gypsy Alfie Best’s mum – here’s how I knew my son was destined to be a millionaire
THE mum of Britain’s richest gypsy has said she knew her son was destined to become a millionaire.
Alfie Best’s parents struggled to make ends meet when he was growing up but Jane Best says he was destined to become a financial success.
The business tycoon, 53, is now thought to have a net worth of around £741million.
Alfie – set to be crowned the world’s first gypsy billionaire next year if all goes to plan – was born in a caravan on a layby in Leicester.
He was raised by his mum and dad in the ten-foot long motorhome.
From the age of eight he worked with his dad – also named Alfie – going door to door offering to tarmac homeowners’ driveways.
Aged 13, he laid the tarmac on the mile-long drive leading to the stately home of a member of the Hambro banking family.
His first solo business venture was buying and selling an Escort van, raking in a £150 profit.
From then the budding businessman was hooked.
He managed to buy his first house for £63,000 aged just 17, while also starting up a business selling vans in East London.
Despite everything though, his mum always believed he would make it.
In a new film called Gypsy Billionaire, which premiers at Cannes Film Festival this Friday, Jane said: “When Alfie was a little boy, he come to me and said ‘that man got a cracking car over there. It’s a big Rolls-Royce. I said ‘You know what, ‘you save your money and you’ll have a Rolls-Royce one day’.”
She added: “He’s always at work even if he’s on holiday. His brain don’t click off. That’s how my Alfie’s like.”
Jane though admitted he was a handful when he was a youngster, she said: “He was like having 20 children. He was a handful to look after.”
He’s always at work even if he’s on holiday. His brain don’t click off. That’s how my Alfie’s like
Alfie Best's mum Jane
Now, Alfie runs a residential park homes empire Wyldecrest Parks, which made £32m last year alone.
His dad, Alfie Best Sr, also noticed there was something a bit different about his son.
He said: “Every second you wanted to know where he was.
“I always feel he’s been a very lucky boy because when he was born we had about nine inches of snow.
“Well, I had about four jobs to do, tarmacking. I couldn’t do them.
“Someone pulled in the layby and he went and gave us three loads of scrap. So that tied us over until the snow cleared.
“That’s why I always think of him as being a lucky baby.”
Alfie now lives the high life in a mansion worth £6m, a fleet of supercars in the garage and he travels around the country on his personalised helicopter – designed by James Bond’s favourite car company, Aston Martin.
Earlier this year, The Sun was given a peek into a normal day in Alfie Best’s enviable life.
Alfie’s daughter, Elizabeth, dropped out of school when she was 11 but is now following in her dad’s footsteps.
Alfie has also revealed the moment he was left sleeping in his van.
The film Gypsy Billionaire is premiering at Cannes next Friday.