20 March 2024 , 16:47
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TV chef James Martin once dated Bond boss Barbara Broccoli - but their age and financial gap proved to be the downfall of the romance.
The 51-year-old chef and the 63-year-old Hollywood film producer dated for four and a half years - with romance blossoming for the pair when he was 29 and she was 41. The relationship coincided with Pierce Brosnan, 70, handing the Bond moniker to Daniel Craig, 56 - with James even having a hand in designing the Austin Martin that 007 drove in the film Casino Royale.
While dating Barbara, James enjoyed a life of luxury - being showered with extravagant gifts including priceless original Picasso art pieces and cars worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. But James admitted that he struggled to cope when he started to feel like a kept man - and also that, while he had no issue with the age difference between him and Barbara, he felt ‘scrutinised’ by others.
James has been notably private about his romantic life - with news that his relationship with longterm partner Louise Davies collapsed in December only making headlines in March, three months later - he once gave an astonishing insight into his past romance with Barbara. He explained that they met when he was 29 as Barbara won an auction prize to have him cook her dinner one evening and she swiftly booked him again to cook her a birthday meal, and their romance bloomed soon after.
James is a famous UK TV chef (Getty Images)
Barbara is, of course, the brains behind the multi-billion pound grossing Bond film franchise (PA)Penning his memories of his romance for the Daily Mail back in 2008, roughly two years after they split, James explained how outside pressures caused him to bin off the romance. He wrote about commenting on a Picasso drawing at an exhibition of the late artist’s work - and was left gobsmacked when Barbara snapped it up for him and presented it as a birthday gift six months later.
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He also went into detail about attending glitzy award shows and being left speechless when screen icons including Nicole Kidman and Halle Berry approached him, knowing who he was. However, his confidence and male pride could not handle being viewed as Barbara’s less successful partner - and he said that he could see other’s judging him for being with her.
He wrote: “Looking back, the days that really stand out for me are those when it was just the two of us. We would switch off our mobile phones and it would be our time. The age gap didn't help matters in public. When we went to functions I felt uncomfortable when people looked at me, this nobody, and probably thought, 'He's with her for the money’.”
He continued: “But I never wanted anything from Barbara. Maybe it's male pride but there were certain places I refused to go unless I paid. When I said I hated us being apart, she said: 'Why don't you give it all up, then? I'll look after you.' That was the last thing I wanted. To be given a cheque every week? No thanks. I wanted to work.”
James said that when Barbara offered to buy him a £180,000 Aston Martin - the same model that featured in the 2006 film Casino Royale and which model he decided the colour of - he knew it was time to walk away.
James explained: “Deep down, I knew there was always going to be an imbalance. I told my mum I didn't think I could handle it any more. 'You're mad,' she said. 'You've got a woman there who adores you, who you absolutely adore. Forget about all the other stuff - that's irrelevant. It's just the two of you.' 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.”
While the TV chef has now split from TV producer Louise Davies, who he began dating in 2011, he has reportedly wasted no time in moving on. The Saturday Morning star is now said to be dating Kim Johnson - the ex-wife of Indian businessman Arun Nayar, who himself was married to Elizabeth Hurley from 2007 until 2011.