TEENAGER Jonathan Thompson won't be worrying about student debt as he starts his degree in Preston - he's worth £2.7 million!

At the tender age of 19 Jonathan owns three businesses, all of which he started from scratch, possesses three houses and can be seen driving around the University of Central Lancashire campus in a Jaguar!

But for the next three years his high-flying businesses will be taking more of a back seat as he studies for a degree, which he hopes will land him a job in that highly-paid profession - journalism.

Jonathan, who will continue to commute daily from Manchester until he buys a home in Preston, says despite his millions he's just another student.

Dressed in a dapper suit, Jonathan said: "I hope people don't see me as being full of myself. I don't dress any differently to the other students. I'm me.

"The only difference is probably my car."

His flagship enterprise, Retro Arcade Machines Ltd, sells and rents arcade machines throughout Britain.

He also keeps a watchful eye over his other two firms, a small record label and a film production company.

At 16 he was fronting a show for children's channel Nickelodeon.

With so much cash you'd think slumming it at university, living off a diet of baked beans and pot noodles would be the last thing he wanted to do.

But he added: "I chose Preston because it is good for journalism. I think it is important to have a degree. If everything goes wrong, at least I will have that.

"I hope to return to television one day."

In December a documentary about his whiz-kid rise to fortune will be broadcast on BBC2.

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