ITV’s James Martin has been a familiar face on our TV screens for years, but the chef has always been known for his rigorous work ethic and admitted he once feared his career could end
James has fronted several cooking shows over the years(Image: Stuart C. Wilson via Getty Images)
James Martin is famous for being one of the hardest-working celebrity chefs in the UK.
So hard-working, in fact, that a fellow famous chef told the story of how he used to sleep in a camper van because he was so worried about his career being suddenly cut short.
During an old episode of the Grilling podcast with Simon Rimmer, the Sunday Brunch presenter discussed his time at the BBC Good Food Shows and an early encounter with James at the NEC.
He described it as a “properly brilliant time”, despite being put up at the “worst hotel in the world“, but what Simon particularly recalled from “those days” was James’ dedication and how he’d kip in his camper van to arrive early for work.
Questioning James about his commitment, Simon observed: “You’ve never lost that. You were always known as being the guy that would like… you’d roll up in your camper van, you’d sleep in your camper van at times, and you’d do the show, and you’ve never stopped working.
“Still now, you still don’t. Is that because of a love for it, or is it also… are you slightly insecure that you worry about it ending?” reports the Mirror.
During the interview, Simon noted that James had been in a position where he could have “kicked back a little bit” if he’d “wanted to”, and might even have “become a little bit arrogant” given his achievements, choosing not to put as much effort into his demonstrations.
James responded: “Several things… I worry about it ending for sure, not that I’m pressed about it now as much as I was. But I still care more than I did before, if that makes sense?”
The chef rose to fame as the presenter of the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen, a role he held for a decade from 2006 until 2016.
After leaving the programme, he launched James Martin’s Saturday Morning on ITV, where he continues to welcome celebrity guests and showcase his signature recipes.
Over the course of his career, James has built a reputation as one of Britain’s best-known TV chefs.
Before finding fame, James worked in a number of prestigious restaurants and hotels before making the move into television.
Nevertheless, James, displayed a “work ethos” that perfectly embodied the well-worn saying, “You don’t get owt for nowt”, according to Simon.
James also spoke about his experiences at the NEC, recounting how he would stay up into the small hours socialising before returning to his hotel, grabbing a swift shower, changing into his chef’s clothes and heading straight to work.
This follows a turbulent time for James that involved a cancer diagnosis and surgery.
James shared that he was initially diagnosed with facial cancer in 2017. He went under the knife for the condition in 2018 and has received ongoing treatment ever since.
He told the Good Food podcast: “When you’re going through the hell that I’ve gone through in the last six years and you’ve just been given the all-clear; when you get given that news, it’s horrific.
“But when you’re given the news at the end of it, it makes you think in a different light.”
James revealed the condition left him suffering excruciating pain, and characterised the time surrounding his diagnosis as “one of the most fraught and difficult periods of my life”.
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