Wild lifetime of world’s richest gypsy who was born on roadside and stabbed

Alfie Best came from humble beginnings and was born in a caravan at the side of a road in Leicester.

But today (May 17), the “old-school, blood and blisters businessman” was named in the Sunday Times Rich List for being on track to become the world’s first Romany gypsy billionaire. His net worth is a staggering £947million (climbing £202m in 12 months) and below we take a look at his extraordinary life.

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Rags to Riches

Alfie, 54, was born in April 1970 to a poor gypsy family and from an early age he was expected to work hard.

He was 10 years old when he went door-to-door with his dad to tarmac driveways and just two years later he quit school. But rather than taking it easy, he was buying and selling cars and vans by the time he was 14.

Alfie then accepted a job in a phone shop earning £70 a week – but 18 months later he had 13 stores in London of his own.

Speaking about his entrepreneurial abilities, he said: “As a I had no choice but to start from the ground up with virtually nothing in the bank and not much more in my back pocket. I took note of the wise words of the great American businessman Warren Buffettt who famously said, ‘An idiot with a plan can beat a genius without a plan’.”

But at the age of 17, he was stabbed in the arm in Walthamstow, London, and speaking to the Daily Star he pointed to his elbow and said: “See that, that’s a stab mark.”

Telling us about the incident, he added: “My arm basically got held down, stabbed with a knife and then they pulled it. I was about 17 then.”

He also said he was hit over the head with a pole when he was 22 in Forest Gate and pointed to his head where he explained how a piece of his skull was missing.

However, playing it cool, he added: “When you’re working in a poor area and from a poor background, unfortunately that’s the sort of thing that happens. And it’s not just because we’re gypsies. But listen. They’re things that happen in life. You just have to deal with them and move on.”

Alfie – who calls himself a caravan king – sold his mobile phone businesses before going on to own Europe’s largest holiday and residential park home operator.

His business, which has benefitted from a rise in staycations, is called Wyldecrest Parks and it consists of 91 parks in the UK, Europe and America and has 16,000 residents.

Family Life

Alfie is married to his second wife, Emily Jane Best, who has stayed away from the public eye. However, she reportedly inspired him to use his dosh to acquire a sprawling empire of mobile homes sites.

He has 88,500 followers on Instagram but rarely posts pictures of Emily – and things like where and when they tied the knot have been kept under wraps.

Emily has her own private Instagram with 4,300 followers and in her bio mentions that she sells ‘bespoke and beautiful headwear’.

Alfie has two kids, Alfie Junior and Elizabeth. His son starred in My Big Fat gypsy Fortune in 2013 and he also appeared in Absolutely Ascot.

He has been known to sell expensive jewellery to celebrities and shares his lavish lifestyle on Instagram where he has 190,000 followers.

And paying tribute to his mum Emily, he wrote last year: “Happy Mother’s Day to the best mum in the world. I would not be the man I am or where I am today without you, you know this more than anyone. I love you more than words can describe.”

Alfie’s daughter, Elizabeth Best, has less of a public profile than her brother and is a park manager for Wyldecrest Parks.

But giving an insight into her childhood, she told the Gypsy Billionaire documentary: “We grew up on a park, we grew up learning and interacting and spending time and making relationships with the residents.

“If anyone needed something they’d knock on our door and sometimes if we needed something they were always there. It’s a lovely environment to live in and we couldn’t have wished for a better childhood growing up on a park.”

Alfie also praised his daughter for working her way up the business – saying she originally worked in accounts and was not just given a board room seat.

Machete Attack

Alfie’s son-in-law Matthew Newland once attacked him with a machete back in 2016. According to GetSurrey, Alfie and Matthew had a fight in a car park to “sort out ongoing tensions” before extraordinary details were aired in court.

Barrister Simon Sannon said: “He (Newland) somehow got dragged into the vehicle with Mr Best and saw the defendant retrieve from the glovebox a machete and decided then to back off from the situation.

“Newland then started to wave the machete around inside the vehicle and Mr Best tried to grab it, and did, and that caused a deep cut to his hand.”

During the scrap Newland was hit with a metal pole and broke his wrist before he was arrested. He later pleaded guilty to one count of affray and one of being in possession of a bladed article before being ordered to serve a 13-month sentence.

Brutal Daily Routine

The business tycoon, who also owns non-league side East Thurrock United, has spent decades building his empire and previously spoke exclusively to the Daily Star about his relentless daily routine.

He said there was no “magic formula” to his success but said it took blood, sweat and tears on a consistent basis. Giving us an insight, the dad-of-two said: “I genuinely have OCD. I like everything perfect, I like everything right. I like the right situation.”

He still grafts 15-hour days and rises at 6.45am and drives to his office in either his Bugatti or Rolls Royce – depending on how he feels.

The drive takes an hour and 15 minutes where he makes his international calls before he gets to the office and clears emails. He then checks on his 17 businesses to make sure everything is going okay. He added to us: “Once I’ve done that, I’ve got a routine to check every business we have. Every one of those businesses has cash flow and every one of those has a business plan.

“If they’re going off that plan, I’ll ring them. If anything comes up, I will visit those businesses – whether I fly to them in the helicopter or whether I drive to them.”

Alfie usually calls it a day by 9 or 10pm but he said he genuinely enjoys what he does.

Where is he now?

Alfie now lives in the millionaire’s playground in Monaco and has said he will never return to live in Britain. He resides in a mansion by the sparkling harbour where he keeps his £10m superyacht.

He no longer pays UK income tax and is saving millions because of it. And speaking to MailOnline, he said: “It’s true I will not be paying personal income tax by living in Monaco but all my companies are still in the UK so they will be paying tax.

“I have always paid my fair share of tax and will continue to do so. The only difference being here in Monaco is I do not pay personal income tax. So when I get dividends from my companies there will be no income tax to pay.

“It is no longer Great Britain but Broken Britain. If you are a successful businessman, you are punished by the taxman and I have had enough of that. I have been chased for seven years and have had enough of that.”