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James Martin reveals personal life sacrifices as celebrity chef: 'It made relationships tough'

Saturday Kitchen's James Martin has opened up about life as a celebrity chef

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Sharnaz Shahid
Deputy Online Editor
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James Martin has opened up about the challenges he has faced thanks to his celebrity status. The 44-year-old, who presented Saturday Kitchen for ten years, admitted that it has been hard to maintain a good work-life balance. In an interview with The Times, he explained: "You sacrifice so much. Life, kids, relationships. Your work takes you to places and you sacrifice your relationship because you want to go there. It's tough, but that's the reality."

But it seems as if James has finally found "The One" with his girlfriend Louise Davies. Earlier this week, during an appearance on Good Morning Britain, the popular television star was compelled to discuss his love life, to which he replied: "I'm happy. I'm happy. For the first time in my life I'm happy and content." Prior to his relationship with Louise, James was previously in a four-year relationship with James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli, who he split from in 2005.

james 2a© Photo: Getty Images

James Martin has opened up about life as a celebrity chef

The famous chef, who is now back on TV with his new food travel series James Martin's French Adventure, also mentioned why he left daytime cooking show Saturday Kitchen after a decade at the helm. James explained how it was down to the sudden death of a stranger - Dominic De Sousa, a Dubai magazine boss - which had made him consider his position. He said: "I was chatting to him and he stood up on stage and collapsed and passed away in front of me."

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Dominic 56, a prominent figure in Dubai’s media industry, died on stage of a suspected heart attack when he was hosting the BBC Good Food Middle East Awards in 2015. "That was just over a year ago and that was the decision to change," James added. "I look back at all the work I'd done, I'd done like four days off that year and five days off the year before and I thought something's got to change. And that was partly the reason why I gave up the Saturday Morning show."