Multi-millionaire John Roberts vows five children won’t get a cent of his $900m fortune

THIS father is worth more than $900 million. Lucky kids, right? Wrong. He’s told them they’re not getting a cent. Not. One. Cent.

Self-made multi-millionaire John Roberts says he wants his five children to make his own

LAST month entrepreneur John Roberts sold his online appliances company for a staggering $2.1 billion.

At the age of just 40, the man known in his native Britain as the “Kitchen King” is now worth $900 million. He will never have to work again. But he wants his five children to — desperately.

“My dad’s philosophy was: ‘I’ll give you the best start in life I can afford and what you do with it is up to you’ — and mine’s the same,” Roberts told The Sunday Times yesterday.

“(My wife and I have) been really conscious not to change anything. The kids are getting nothing.”

In fact, the children — who are aged from two to 17 — had no idea that dad was rich until they read about his windfall in the media.

Roberts made big news in February when the company he founded 14 years ago, AO.com, was valued on the London Stock Exchange at £1.2 billion (AUS $2.1 billion).

Roberts, who left school with no qualifications, told the Times he wants his children to be “happy” and “normal” in their chosen careers. For example, his eldest daughter says she wants to be a teacher and he feels she would suffer if her colleagues or students discovered she was heir to millions.

Roberts and his wife plan to leave their millions to charity.

They are not alone. Below seven other extremely wealthy people who have vowed to cut off their children financially for their own good.

Bill and Melinda Gates declared years ago that their children would not see a penny of their $84 billion fortune.

Investment guru and Creighton Bluejays fan Warren Buffett, who is worth about $60 billion, made it clear long ago his offspring would have to make it on their own.

eBay founder and billionaire Pierre Omidyar has three children who he says will not benefit from his wealth.

Texas oil magnate T Boone Pickens is worth more than $1.4 billion but is ‘not a big fan of inherited wealth. It generally does more harm than good.’

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is worth US$20 billion but wants his two daughters to make their own way financially.

Kiss bassist Gene Simmons has vowed his son and daughter ‘will never get rich’ from his US$300 million fortune.

Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, with his ex-wife Pam, has repeatedly stated that arts programs and not his children or grandchildren, will benefit from his legacy of several hundred million dollars.