Celebrity chef James Martin reflected on his Yorkshire roots after a recent return to his hometown with fiancée Kim Johnson, who he reportedly got engaged to last year
James Martin headed back to his Yorkshire roots last month for a festival visit that stirred up a wave of childhood memories. Born and raised in Malton, in what was then the North Riding of Yorkshire, the 54-year-old took his fiancée, Kim Johnson, around his hometown before heading to the festival as its headline chef.
In a rare mention of his wife-to-be, James shared how a walk with the personal trainer brought back many childhood memories. “Kim and I went walking around the Hole of Horcum and through Whitby and Kirkbymoorside,” he shared with The Yorkshire Post.
“You go back to all the places that you remember as a kid, and obviously I spent a lot of time in Malton when I was part of The Talbot. Getting them in the Michelin Guide was a great thing for us,” he added.
Although none of his current venues are in Yorkshire, he previously led The Talbot in Malton in the early 2010s – a period that saw the restaurant earn a spot in the Michelin Guide, which he described as “a great thing” for the team.
While continuing to run his restaurants, the chef also fronts his ITV show James Martin’s Saturday Morning, but insists that working in the kitchen, away from the cameras, remains his main focus.
“You work as a chef, my main job is I work in restaurants. I was working in a restaurant until 1.30am this morning – that is my job, that’s what I do. Television is a part of it but it is not ‘the’ part of it. The restaurants will always come first,” he added.
James has also spoken openly about the personal cost of that focus. In a 2020 interview with Prima Magazine, the chef said the biggest low of his career was sacrificing so much of his private life, watching friends settle down while he prioritised work.
But he added that he doesn’t regret his choices – and believes he would make the same decisions again because they helped make him who he is.
Instead, he has previously referred to his luxury cars, including a Chevrolet Corvette and a 1948 Maserati, as his “babies”.
James tends to keep his personal life away from the public eye, with little known about his love life. However, last year he reportedly made a U-turn on his stance on marriage by proposing to his partner, Kim.
The chef did not confirm the news, though Kim reportedly shared a picture of a dish made by him, which she captioned: “So proud of my fiancé.”
The pair were first spotted publicly together in March 2024 while shopping for watches at Tiffany in London’s Mayfair, before taking a trip to France together later that summer.
In October the following year, they took their relationship to the next step by moving in together.
James Martin’s Saturday Morning airs weekly from 9.30am on ITV and ITVX
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