I was Michael Jackson's bodyguard - my £200k Ferrari has been ruined by mice

Michael Jackson’s former bodyguard says his dream Ferrari, worth up to £200k, has been wrecked - by mice.

Self-defence specialist Matt Fiddes bought the red 355 GTS when he was just 19, and says it had always been his dream car growing up.

The entrepreneur, now 45, says that while he was starting his martial arts business, he even had pictures of the sports car on his wall for motivation.

But he recently discovered that mice had chewed through the wiring and ripped apart all his documents.

Matt suspects that the rodents had snuck in during the cold winter in order to keep warm, and says that he had never thought to check.

The Ferrari had only done 18,000 miles, was in good condition, and was fitted with a cassette player and retracting roof, he said.

Having taken the car to the garage, Matt received the blow that his car - which he reckons could have sold for up to £200k - is now only worth £1k

With parts for the vehicle being so rare, the millionaire has been left with no choice but to scrap it.

He added: “The mice had been living out of my car because it was so cold. They had eaten all of my car’s electrics and everything.

“I have lots of other cars, but this one was symbolic to me. It was my little boy’s dream. It is sad.

“Those mice have cost me a fortune. It was a £200k mouse house.

“It didn’t even cross my mind that rats and mice would try and seek a warm place in the winter inside my beautiful Ferrari.

“I had been told it was the best example of a Ferrari 355 in the world. It was like it was brand new.

“I am just glad that my family is safe. I can always buy another Ferrari, just not one with those memories.

“I will stick to the modern cars from now on.”

When expanding his franchise, Matt says he drove the car - which he purchased for £150k - to all of his meetings in order to impress clients, which he now credits for his success.

The vehicle was full of memories, and he even says that he once took Michael Jackson out in it who “loved it” and had nicknamed it 'The Frog' due to the lights that popped out.

The dad-of-six, from Devon, said: “My dream as a kid was to be a millionaire by the time I was 20. I would put posters of that car on my wall to motivate me.

“I still remember the day I picked it up. I was looking at Ferraris in a tracksuit with a cap on at 19. They didn’t really take me seriously until I handed them a cheque.

“I just used to stare at it on the driveway and think ‘I have done it’. I proved all the bullies wrong, I proved my parents wrong, everyone who doubted me. I had made it.

“As I was building up my franchises I used to drive around the UK in that car and people were impressed. People say to me all the time that they wouldn’t have bought my franchises if I didn’t have that car.”

Matt opened his martial arts business with just £100 - and it was recently valued at £120 million, with the largest privately owned portfolio in Devon.

The business owner has seven sports cars in total including multiple Ferraris, a Lamborghini, and two Mercedes.