James Martin's 'doomed' love with Hollywood royalty and disinterest in marriage
James Martin is best known for his hit cooking shows with the BBC and ITV, having presented Saturday Kitchen for 10 years from 2006 to 2016.
The 51-year-old, who was born in Yorkshire, has also penned successful cookbooks and opened a number of restaurants and bakeries over the years.
Outside of cooking, Martin has also presented The One Show and appeared on Celebrity Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? - which is where he met his long-term partner Louise Davies, who works as a TV producer.
The pair have been together since 2011 but according to the chef, they likely won't ever get married because he's "not interested".
The chef is in a long-term relationship with Louise Davies (Alan Davidson/REX/Shutterstock)When asked about whether he and Louise would be walking down the aisle, he previously told Sunday People: "No, it doesn't interest me in the slightest, mainly because I've catered for so many weddings, really. I admire people who do it, that's fine, but I'm quite happy."
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He added in 2019: "I don't need to spend 60 grand on a day, no, I'm more than happy thanks." The pair also won't have children, which is one of the chef's biggest regrets as he told Prima Magazine back in 2020 that he'd sacrificed "everything" for his career, while all his friends were married with kids.
"The biggest low of my career is that I've given up everything for it," he said. But despite this, he claims he likely wouldn't have changed any part of his life, adding that he'd "probably" do it all over again as it's "made me who I am".
He also acknowledges that being a parent is difficult and jokes that his luxury cars, including a Chevrolet Corvette and a 1948 Maserati, are his "babies". "My mates come round to my house and they look into my garage and I go, 'These are my babies, these are my things,' but you know, it's each to their own, isn't it?"
The 51-year-old has also previously shared his regret over not having kids (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Martin was in a relationship with Barbara Broccoli for five years (Getty Images,)Aside from his relationship with Davies, he's also previously dated Hollywood royalty as he was with James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli for five years. The pair first met in 2001 when she 'won' him at a charity auction, bidding £18,000 to have Martin cook a dinner party at her home.
Writing in his autobiography Driven, he said they "just clicked" despite the 12-year age gap between them. Broccoli, who is 63, is then said to have showered him with lavish gifts during their time together, including giving him three original Picasso paintings. She also left him starstruck when she introduced him to A-list pals such as Nicole Kidman and Halle Berry.
But it seems he came to realise that their relationship was doomed due to the lifestyle "imbalance" they faced. Martin recalled a "defining moment" when she wanted to gift him a £180,000 car for no reason.
"It wasn't as if it was my birthday or Christmas – it was just a spur-of-the-moment thought," he explained. "It was a defining moment in our relationship. Deep down, I knew there was always going to be an imbalance."
Following their break-up the chef became keen to keep his love life private and when he started dating Davies, their relationship was a secret for several years and he was "happier" than he'd ever been. A source told The Sun at the time: "James desperately wants to keep his private life out of the spotlight and under wraps following his romance with Barbara Broccoli. It's easy to do with Louise as she likes things low-key as well, unlike Barbara who loved making a fuss over him."
Most recently the celebrity chef hit headlines after facing allegations about behaviour while filming James Martin's Spanish Adventure in 2018. He was accused of "bullying and intimidating staff" who worked on the ITV show and has since apologised for his foul-mouthed rant on the set. The chef also revealed he had been diagnosed with cancer on his face and had surgery after filming had finished.
His public apology shared to Twitter claimed he'd been under a lot of stress at the time as well, having been dealing with the loss of a loved one - and feeling emotional after a burglary that occurred at his home while Davies was there alone. He 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.
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"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. 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."
He went on to discuss his diagnosis, telling fans: "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.
"After all this stress I was in a very emotional state, and when after filming in early January 2018 I discovered my home had been flooded while filming, I was extremely upset. I can only say I am human and following a build-up of personal life pressure, I admit that I overreacted regarding the damage to my home."
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