Lisa Oldfield reveals financial problems after split with politician husband

When Lisa Oldfield split with her husband, she faced “hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal bills” — without a roof over her head.

When Lisa Oldfield’s high-profile marriage finally imploded last year, the celebrity housewife soon hit rock bottom.

The mother-of-two married One Nation co-founder David Oldfield at a young age, and during their 18-year marriage, he was the one who handled the family finances.

So when The Real Housewives of Sydney and I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here star found herself suddenly single in her 40s, she struggled with the financial toll as well as the emotional one.

“When I found myself late last year facing a divorce with expensive legal fees and setting up a new home, I really didn’t know where to start,” she told news.com.au.

“It was awful — all of a sudden I didn’t have a roof over my head, I didn’t know where I was going to live, and I was facing hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal bills and I never expected that to happen to me.

Lisa Oldfield was left with mounting bills following her split. Picture: Jonathan Ng

“I’ve always had a career and made good money, but I’d never had to be responsible for the financial side — David always paid the bills and did the budget.”

Ms Oldfield said she and sons Bert and Harry were “lucky” to have moved in with her parents immediately after the breakup — a “luxury” many other women don’t have.

“I buried my head in the sand for the first month or two but the bills piled up — I was very lucky to have my parents’ emotional and financial support because my major asset — the family home — is frozen at the moment,” she said.

“We both had different skill sets — there was nothing untoward about it, nothing nefarious … but numbers bored me,” she added, saying in the past she preferred to spend her time outside of work hours with her kids rather than paying bills.

Lisa Oldfield, pictured with sons Bert and Harry, has teamed up with Best Financial Friend. Photo: Instagram

“It was hard — I reached 44 and was never financially responsible before, so it was such a wake-up call.”

Ms Oldfield said she had always been “very good at making money” but also “very good at spending it” — and that until her split, she always relied on her politician husband to “pay the utilities, mortgage, school fees”.

“The reality is that after my separation, if not for the support of my family, I would be in a seriously compromised financial position,” she said.

“Without my dad, I’d be up Struggle Street trying to put a roof over our heads until the divorce is finalised.

“I feel sick every time I get hit with a $40,000 legal bill, but at the end of the day, I know it just means I’ve got to work harder.”

Ms Oldfield has now teamed up with female-focused, one-on-one finance coaching service Best Financial Friend (BFF) after it helped her get back on her feet.

BFF’s goal is to help 10,000 women become bad debt free by 2020 and to “understand, manage and maintain control of their finances”.

Lisa and David Oldfield’s pending divorce was announced on Facebook. Picture: Jenny Evans

She said the service had got her through a “scary” time and showed her she “wasn’t alone”.

Ms Oldfield also opened up about her failed relationship — and a budding new romance.

“It was unexpected but in the long run it was the best for me. David wasn’t seeing anybody else, I wasn’t seeing anybody else, but the love died unfortunately, which was very sad because we’ve been best friends for years, but now we are working together to co-parent as best we can,” she said.

“If we get angry with each other we remind ourselves our love for our children is permanent and far more important than any slight irritation.

“No one who gets divorced comes out of it unscathed, and it was a really hard time, but I’m over the worst of it — I love my kids to death … my career is going really well, and I’m very lucky to be in a very happy relationship with someone who really cares about me, and it is an enormous support to me.”

Lisa Oldfield has also opened up about her new partner, Jim. Picture: Facebook

The reality star revealed news of her split on Facebook earlier this year — although she first spoke of divorce during a post-elimination interview of I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here in 2018.

“I feel like he is a boat anchor around my neck, and after 17 years I’ve had a revelation,” she said at the time.

Best Financial Friend also donates $10 to women’s homelessness prevention charity the White Caravan Foundation for every woman who joins BFF.

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