Saturday Morning chef James Martin on why he split from Bond star ex Barbara Broccoli

JAMES MARTIN once dated James Bond's Barbara Broccoli, but the relationship fell apart after four and a half years, and the Saturday Morning chef went on to reveal why in a resurfaced article from 2008.

By Hannah McGreevy, Content Editor

James Martin reveals he is opening a restaurant in India

, 49, once dated Hollywood legend Barbara Broccoli, who is 12 years his senior. The chef addressed why he called it quits with the producer back in 2008.

James met Barbara, 61, at a charity auction and recalled how the pair “instantly clicked”.

The pair went on to date for five years before they finally went their separate ways, with James admitting that there would always be “an imbalance” between them.

James, who opened up about their break-up in 2008, confessed that the worlds they came from were just too different. 

The chef recalled often feeling starstruck in the presence of Hollywood stars like Bond Girl Halle Berry or Nicole Kidman.


James Martin

James Martin used to date Barbara Broccoli (Image: GETTY)

James

James is a famous Saturday Morning chef in the UK (Image: GETTY)

While James enjoyed plenty of gifts from Barabra over the years, he described how her generosity was eventually the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Barbara, who has an estimated net worth of $400 million, had showered him with some incredible presents – including three genuine Picassos.

But when she tried to buy James an £180,000 Aston Martin DBS with the chassis number 007, it all became too much for the British TV chef. 

“It wasn’t as if it was my birthday or Christmas – it was just a spur of the moment thought,” he wrote.

Barbara

Barbara is behind the James Bond franchise (Image: GETTY)

James

James has been dating girlfriend Louise Davies for several years now (Image: GETTY)

“In the end I said, ‘If I want something, I’ll work for it. Just drop it or we’re going to fall out over this’.

“It was a defining moment in our relationship. Deep down, I knew there was always going to be an imbalance.”

After the pair parted ways, James went on to date former Miss England Sally Kettle.

Since 2011, he has been in a relationship with his long-term girlfriend Louise Davies, who is a TV producer.


The pair met on the set of Celebrity Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and have since their relationship out of the spotlight.

In the 2008 article, James suggested that his split from Barbara was ultimately “for the best”.

He wrote: “To walk away from someone you love and who loves you that much is hard.

“Maybe it was the daftest thing I have done in my life but it was probably the most sensible, too.

“In the end I think it was for the best, not just for Barbara and me but also for her children,” he penned in his piece for Mail Online. 

James Martin’s Saturday Morning begins at 9:25am today on ITV.

James Martin’s Great British Adventure also airs today at 12:30pm on ITV. 



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