Inside James May’s romance with rarely seen partner and real reason he'll never marry

James May has never walked down the aisle with art critic Sarah Frater, with whom he has been in a relationship since 2000. As of April 2026, the couple have been together for over two decades. The couple, who live together in west London, never married and have not had children, with James once putting it down to being "a late developer".

Opening up about his romance, he told the Driven podcast: "I think it was just a result of life, let’s put that down to being a late developer. I’ve got nieces and nephews of many ages." The former Grand Tour star, 63, admitted he is content being an uncle – who was in his late thirties when he began dating Sarah – said that he didn't want to be an older father raising young kids as he feels it is "unfair" and "weird."

"Maybe 'unfair' was a bit strong. But when I was at school there was a boy whose dad was the same age as my granddad and it felt weird," he clarified in an interview with The Times, before using Al Pacino and his ex Noor Alfallah, who is 54 years his junior, as an example.

He added: "And that actor who recently had a child with a much younger woman? He’s not going to be around very much, is he? Then again, you can be young and still not be around much, so who knows?

"I have a ready audience of nieces and nephews. But listen, if anyone wants their child to learn how to fix a puncture, send them to me."

James and Sarah reside in west London and also have a second home in Wiltshire.

He previously revealed the pair split their household chores equally.

"I help around the house. I do a lot of housework. There’s a myth that men live in squalor but most men are quite tidy. Sarah likes to garden but she is not very good at looking after her tools. So I get a bit neurotic about maintaining her secateurs," he joked.

James' partner, Sarah, is an art critic, writer and journalist from the UK, best known for her dance reviews and expert knowledge of ballet.