Former MasterChef host John Torode celebrated a marriage milestone with his wife, Lisa Faulkner, on his Instagram account, posting a sweet tribute in honour of their anniversary. The celebrity chef, 60, and his actress wife, 53, marked their sixth wedding anniversary, having tied the knot back in October 2019. Sharing a snap from the couple's wedding day, which they enjoyed at Aynhoe Park in Banbury, John penned a heartfelt message to his spouse, whom he labelled his "rock" and his "best friend".
The image showed the chef and the EastEnders star standing over their lavish wedding cake, waving their arms in the arm as they cut into the dessert. John was dressed in a smart black suit and white shirt with a dark coloured tie, while Lisa wore a simple white wedding gown with lace detailing around the neckline and shoulder straps.
Both Lisa and John have huge smiles plastered on their faces as they wave to their guests from the top table at which they're sitting. The table is adorned with a white tablecloth and a variety of coloured lit candlesticks. Alongside the sweet picture, John wrote a message that read: "Happy Anniversary my love, my rock, my best friend. I am honoured to be your husband @lisafaulknercooks, honoured! I love you so much," and signed it off with a red love heart emoji.
Fans and followers rushed to the comments to express their well-wishes to the couple, and Lisa replied to John's words with a message of her own that said: "Happy anniversary my John. You make me smile every day. And I love you with all of my heart." John added another short response, typing: "I feel so blessed," and left another love heart next to his words.
© InstagramSome other famous faces took time to post notes of congratulations for the couple, with presenter Ruth Langsford writing: "Happy Anniversary love birds!", while TV personality and former Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattinson said: "Happy anniversary my loves". Followers also added notes that read: "You both look so happy. Congratulations, it’s been a difficult year for you both, but you’ve come through it. Keep cooking", and: "Happy anniversary, hope you both have a special day".
A day to remember
John and Lisa said "I do" four years after they initially started dating on 24 October 2019. They chose to invite their nearest and dearest to a ceremony held on a stunning country estate in Northamptonshire. The wedding festivities played out over the course of two days, with the couple hosting a pre-wedding dinner the night before their trip down the aisle.
© Getty Images for the NTA'sSettling in to watch their friends exchange vows, the wedding guest list included a host of famous names spanning the worlds of cooking and acting. Some of the attendees included Waterloo Road star Angela Griffin, Emmerdale actress Nicola Stephenson, MasterChef's Gregg Wallace and Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden.
The couple have spoken in the past about how their romance first blossomed with Lisa telling HELLO!: "I’ve always thought he was a handsome man, but you can acknowledge someone’s handsome without thinking, ‘Cor!’ It was only later when we started talking that we became friends. I love being with him. We don’t stop talking – chat, chat, chat. He’s like my best mate."
A difficult year for John and Lisa
The couple's latest wedding anniversary came after John's exit from MasterChef, the BBC cooking show he hosted with Gregg Wallace for almost 20 years. News that John's contract with the long-running series would not be renewed broke earlier this summer, following the upholding of an allegation against him using "an extremely offensive racist term", according to the BBC. John said he has "no recollection" of it in an Instagram statement he released in July.
In response to his exit, John explained at the time: "Although I haven't heard from anyone at the BBC or Banijay - I am seeing and reading that I've been 'sacked' from MasterChef. I repeat that I have no recollection of what I'm accused of. The enquiry could not even state the date or year of when I am meant to have said something wrong. Personally, I have loved every minute working on MasterChef, but it's time to pass the cutlery to someone else."
