James Martin ended his relationship with Bond producer Barbara Broccoli because of a generous, spontaneous gift that he felt highlighted a problem between them.
The TV chef, who hosted Saturday Morning with James Martin and Saturday Kitchen, was in a relationship with Hollywood boss Barbara for four-and-a-half years but said the moment that ended their romance revealed the “imbalance” that would forever exist between them.
James, 51, said he was very much in love with Barbara, known for her work in the James Bond films, but he knew he had to part ways with her when she tried to buy him a £180,000 Aston Martin as an impromptu gift.
Although James enjoyed great success as a chef and on television, he said he knew there was an imbalance between him and Barbara, a Hollywood bigwig who was friends with some of the world’s biggest movie stars, and he believed the relationship could never work.
He met 63-year-old Barbara at a charity auction and the two hit it off straight away, spending nearly five years together before splitting up in 2008. James told the Daily Mail at the time about her incredible generosity.
The chef said Barbara had bought him three Picassos and a painting of Whitstable by Lowry, which he kept in a safe, but that the Aston Martin, which she offered to buy him after he admired an Aston Martin made for Daniel Craig for a Bond film, was the limit.
James, who recently underwent treatment for facial cancer, told The Mail: “It wasn’t like it was my birthday or Christmas – it was just a spontaneous thought. In the end I said, ‘If I want something, I’m going to work for it. Just let it be, otherwise we’ll argue about it.'”
He added: “It was a defining moment in our relationship. Deep down I knew there would always be an imbalance.”
However, he said Barbara was “the first true love of my life” and recounted how difficult it was for him to break up with her. He admitted: “Perhaps it was the stupidest thing I have ever done in my life, but it was probably also the most sensible thing.”
After their separation, James dated former Miss England Sally Kettle and then television producer Louise Davies, whom he met on Celebrity: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in 2011.
James and Louise split in December but are said to be on good terms. He is now rumoured to be dating personal trainer Kim Johnson – the ex-wife of Arun Nayar, who was previously married to Elizabeth Hurley – and with whom he was spotted looking at watches in a shop in Mayfair.
In 2019, James told the Sunday People what he thinks about marriage: “No, I’m not interested in that in the slightest, especially because I’ve done so many weddings really. I admire people who do that, that’s fine, but I’m quite happy. I don’t have to spend 60 grand on a day, no, I’m more than happy, thank you.”
