TV star Noel Edmonds secures litigation funding as he prepares for legal battle with Lloyds over HBOS fraud

TV celebrity Noel Edmonds has revealed he has secured litigation funding for his £300m claim against Lloyds Banking Group.

The former Deal Or No Deal host is one of dozens of businesspeople claiming compensation from Lloyds over fraud at its subsidiary, HBOS.

Edmonds said: “I have a major litigation funder there who has seen my case, so they can’t beat me on the deep pockets.”

In February this year, two former HBOS bankers were among six people jailed over a scheme that ran businesses into the ground for their own personal gain.

Lloyds, which bought HBOS in 2008, then set aside £100m to compensate victims of HBOS fraud after launching an independent review, headed up by former CBI small business council chair Professor Russel Griggs.

Edmonds, whose business Unique Group collapsed, has emerged as the most high-profile victim and has been highly critical of the way Lloyds has handled the compensation scheme.

After initially claiming for £73m, Edmonds increased his demand to £300m in July.

Speaking about the strain of the case, Edmonds said: “HBOS had robbed me of my marriage, my family, my businesses, my long-standing friend and business partner; my income, my investments, my self-respect, my reputation, my privacy, my physical and mental health.

“It cost me my security, my image rights, my collection of classic cars – and very nearly my life.”