We caught up with one of our favourite celeb chefs, James Martin, and found out 7 very interesting facts that every fan should know, including what he did his first Saturday morning off after finishing Saturday Kitchen, what makes him nervous and his exciting new restaurant plans.
The TV chef broke our hearts when he left Saturday Kitchen. Like many others, we'd spent our Saturday mornings waking up to his dulcet Yorkshire tones. We thought that having spent the last 10 years watching him on our TV screens, we knew everything there was to know about him. But we were wrong...
(If you're already missing seeing James Martin on TV, you can watch him make his stunning St Emilion macaron recipe in our test kitchen)
1. On his first Saturday off after finishing Saturday Kitchen, he...
... felt happy that his alarm wasn't going off at 4am, then he took his beloved dog Ralph, for a walk. It's the simple things in life, isn't it?!
2. On his second Saturday off, he...
"I hadn't been on a holiday in about 10 years," James told us. So, what's the next thing he did after getting his weekends back? He booked himself a holiday and jetted 4,000 miles away to Florida, where he spent time topping up his tan and enjoying a lie-in, we imagine.
3. He is now free to skydive
James' Saturday Kitchen contract wouldn't allow him to do skydives or bungee jump (not surprisingly!). He told us, though, that "at 17 stone, there's not much chance you'd get me bungee jumping anyway!".
4. He doesn't normally get nervous about being on live TV, but...
He may have spent the last 18 years or so of his career in front of the camera, but he told us he was still nervous about his first appearance on This Morning shortly after his stint on Saturday Kitchen ended. We can't imagine why; he's a natural!
5. His last supper would be...
As a celeb chef, we can only imagine the kinds of food he gets to enjoy on a daily basis. For his final supper, however, there's nothing like mum's cooking apparently. James said he'd have his mum's Sunday lunch - roast dinner with his mum's "proper gravy, none of that jus rubbish" and apparently, "her roast potatoes are so good, they're better than mine".
6. He looks slimmer in real life, he's told
With people's TVs getting wider, apparently fans tell James: "You're less fat in real life than you are on TV". Luckily, he takes it as a compliment!
7. He's opening a new restaurant...
Leaving Saturday Kitchen has left James with some more time on his hands, so he's going to be opening a new restaurant in the New Forest in November. We can't wait to try it!
8. He's had a secret girlfriend for five years...
Last week he revealed that he had been dating but on a bit of digging we have discovered that he has actually been in a relationship for the past five years with PA Louise Davies. A secret well kept, he actually lives with her and their dog Ralph. The couple are said to have met on the set of 'Celebrity Who Wants To Be A Millionaire'.
9. The real reason he quit Saturday Kitchen?
Because a man died right in front of him. Dominic De Sousa was hosting the BBC Good Food Awards in 2015, when he collapsed on stage of a suspected heart attack. James has admitted that the shocking experience forced him to reflect on his own life and how he was spending his time. He said, "I looked back on all the work I'd done, I'd had like four days off that year, and five days off the year before, and I thought, something's got to change." The chef admitted that it made him realise just how short life is.
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