25 October 2023 , 14:48
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TV chef James Martin has revealed the fate of his ITV cooking show Saturday Morning after allegations of bullying brought its future into question.
The 51-year-old culinary star was accused of intimidating and verbally abusing former crew members. He was forced to apologise for the incidents, which took place in 2018 while filming Saturday Morning and on the set of his new cookery show, James Martin's Spanish Adventure.
The restaurant owner addressed fans at one of his sold-out James Martin Live events, which took place at the Birmingham Symphony Hall on Monday (October 23). According to Birmingham Live, Martin, who was visibly emotional, said: "I want to thank everyone for their support. It's been a difficult time and I've not been well.
James released a public apology after the allegations came to light (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)He then added: "But I wanted to let you know about the future of my Saturday show as ITV have just made a decision yesterday. So, ITV has decided to renew the Saturday show for another year. We've just found out."
James' new TV series was also under threat, with reports stating ITV bosses had originally decided to axe it. The complaint first emerged after the new show started filming, during which he was accused of "berating" people, and reducing some "to tears in front of other colleagues".
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This came after the 2018 incident when the chef allegedly became angry at a member of staff when his drain became blocked while filming Saturday Morning at his home. Audio leaks of his "tirades" further added to the drama surrounding the chef. He went on to release an apology and joint statement with his production company Blue Marlin, admitting "lessons have been learned".
James said: "Firstly, I would like to publicly and sincerely apologise to the crew involved in this incident, as I did at the time. I have always strived to keep my private life private. However since details of a conversation, which was secretly recorded in January 2018, are now five years later being made public by a former member of our production team, I have decided to make a statement."
He went on: "The end of 2017 was one of the most fraught and difficult periods of my life. I was dealing with the death of my last living grandparent, my grandfather, and on account of work commitments, I could not attend his funeral. Later that month I was burgled at night by a team of masked men, who entered my house while my partner Louise was at home alone and I was away working. I was devastated that she had to go through alone."
Discussing his health condition for the first time, he said: "I was then diagnosed with cancer on my face and I had to have surgery, which I couldn't do until two days before Christmas when we had finished filming. Since then it has returned on several occasions and I have to have regular treatments." Explaining the stress left him in an "emotional state", he admitted he "overreacted" to the damage caused to his home by the blocked drain.