James Martin is back in the spotlight following reports he is engaged to his girlfriend of two years. We take a look at his rollercoaster life behind closed doors – including a bitter family row
Telly chef James Martin appears to have done a huge U-turn on the subject of marriage. The 53-year-old is said to be engaged to his new girlfriend Kim Johnson – despite previously saying he would never marry, and stating he didn’t “need to spend 60 grand on a day”.
He reportedly popped the question to 39-year-old personal trainer Kim over the Christmas period. He is said to have also gifted his future wife – who was previously married to Liz Hurley’s millionaire ex, Arun Nayar – a £150,000 Land Rover as an engagement present. Kim seemed to have confirmed the engagement when she called James her “fiancé” on social media. Sharping a photo of a dish James created, she wrote on Instagram: “So proud of my fiancé”.
The happy news has come as a huge surprise to fans. Up until December 2023, James was in a 12-year relationship with Louise Davies – but there was never a suggestion of wedding bells. Speaking to the Sunday People in 2019, the celeb chef said: “Marriage doesn’t interest me in the slightest, mainly because I’ve catered for so many weddings, really.
READ MORE: James Martin’s chaotic love life as younger girlfriend announces their engagementREAD MORE: James Martin shares heartfelt message to fans as he ‘returns to day job’
“I admire people who do it, that’s fine, but I’m quite happy. I don’t need to spend 60 grand on a day, no, I’m more than happy, thanks.” Prior to his long-term romance with TV producer Louise, who he met on the set of Who Wants To Be A Billionaire?, James famously dated James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli, despite a 12-year age gap.
James’ love life hasn’t been his only rollercoaster. The star has dealt with heartbreak within his family, including an explosive rift with his father. In 2008, James fell out with his dad after he made scathing remarks about his former step-mum in the original version of his autobiography, Driven. He reportedly wrote she was “the ugliest woman he had ever met” and accused her of burning items from his childhood, including baby pictures.
After the book was serialised in the Mail on Sunday, James apologised to his dad’s ex-wife and the original edition was withdrawn from shelves. A statement at the time read: “Mr Martin accepts it was untrue to say his father’s then-girlfriend cruelly destroyed childhood mementos of him and his sister.”
James later described his autobiography as his “biggest regret” – but this did nothing to heal the rift, with James saying both father and son were “too stubborn” to make amends. He told The Sun in 2010: “The only good thing from it was the realisation I would never speak to my father again.
“I’ve accepted he will never be a part of my life. I spent 12 years trying to get on with him. You never knew what was around the corner. It was always something like getting divorced or remarried, or a new woman. It was just relentless. I thought, ‘I’ve had enough of this. I’m just going to separate completely.'”
But just last year, James revealed that he’d finally made progress in healing the rift with his dad. In an interview with Candis magazine, he movingly recounted seeing his father Ian in the audience of one of his live shows.
He described the pride and poignancy of the moment, which had taken place nearly a decade prior, when he managed to surprise his dad by booking him into the Ritz and bringing him to a performance at the Palladium.
James shared: “I got him a night at the Ritz – I think he was worried he’d have to pick up the bill! – and I took him backstage at the Palladium. He couldn’t believe his son’s name was in lights outside the theatre.”
He continued: “When I stepped on stage that evening and stood on the cross below which Bruce Forsyth’s ashes are buried, I looked into the audience and the first face I saw was my dad’s. I held it all together throughout the show but I welled up at the end. I completely lost it. The farmer’s kid had made it.”
So far, James hasn’t publicly confirmed his engagement to Kim, but he has previously ruled out the idea of marriage and spoken about his struggles around not having children. In a previous interview, James said the reason he and then-girlfriend Louise hadn’t started a family was because he was “so focused on work”. But he admitted missing out on being a dad was the “biggest low”.
“The biggest low of my career is that I’ve given up everything for it,” he told Prima magazine back in 2020. But he insisted he had no regrets, even though his friends are “all married with kids”. “The level of commitment it requires and the choices you have to make have a huge impact,” he admitted.
