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Nigel Farage today admitted he hasn't got his family's support to continue in politics as he spoke of a 'difficult' few months.
The Reform UK leader said his loved ones 'would rather I packed it up and walked away'.
But he insisted - despite confessing to having had some 'very thoughtful moments' - he personally had not considered quitting.
Mr Farage dramatically quit as an MP in July to trigger a by-election in his Clacton constituency following weeks of scrutiny over his personal finances.
It included questions over his acceptance of a £5million gift from a Thailand-based crypto-billionaire, which Mr Farage has said was to pay for his personal security.
Mr Farage went on to win the by-election contest to return to the House of Commons, but has since been hit by another major row over donations.
Two senior aides to Mr Farage have been suspended during Reform's conference in Birmingham after undercover filming appeared to show them discussing how to disguise foreign donations.
During a series of TV interviews at the party's gathering, Mr Farage acknowledged a 'bad period' and admitted his 'usual quite jolly demeanour was perhaps absent' over the summer.
'For the first time, really, in my political career, I haven't got my family's support,' the Reform leader told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg.
'They would rather I packed it up and walked away. So yeah, it's been difficult.'
Asked whether he had considered quitting, Mr Farage added: 'No, I haven't. I haven't, but when you've got your family begging you to, it's not easy.
'But I think we're through that now. I believe we're through that bad period. I think the general public do understand that I have got some unusual circumstances that others don't have to deal with.
'And yeah, we're back here [in Birmingham]. It's a big conference, an energetic conference.'
Mr Farage's by-election victory came shortly after the killing of Ann Widdecombe, the former Tory minister who later defected to Reform, which sparked fresh alarm over the safety of top politicians.
Her shock death came while Reform faced its most turbulent time since Mr Farage's return as party leader just before the 2024 general election.
Asked if he had considered standing down amid the furious row over his finances, Mr Farage told ITV's Robert Peston: 'No, I wasn't thinking of quitting.
'But I'll tell you what happened and a lot of people noticed over the summer that my usual quite jolly demeanour was perhaps absent. And I, you know, accept that. I accept that.'
But he also told the broadcaster: 'I have had, I'll be honest, you know when your own family start to turn on you because of what you do, some very thoughtful moments.
'Very, very thoughtful moments.'
He continued: 'I didn't get that close to quitting. But, I think that sense of upset and exasperation was there.'
Mr Farage said he expected to face more investigations after Reform's conference was overshadowed by the latest donations row.
He again insisted his party had broken no laws after a report by Channel 4 News showed senior Reform figures discussing how to disguise donations from foreign sources.
Accepting donations from a foreign company, including donations in kind such as polling, could constitute a criminal offence, and the party has been reported to the police.
Mr Farage said he was certain Reform had accepted no illicit donations and dismissed claims by one of his long-term aides, Dan Jukes, that the party had previously concealed the origin of some donations as 'loose pub talk'.
'You come back and see me in six months, there'll be five more investigations. It won't end,' he told ITV.
He added 'the establishment' are 'not going to give us a free ride'. 'They will do anything they can,' he continued.
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