John Torode's 'cowardly' move after quickie divorce - and strict bedroom rule

24 June 2024 , 17:00

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John and Lisa have been married for five years

John Torode knows his way around the kitchen - but is far less confident when it comes to love.

The Australian-British chef has MasterChef to thank for bringing his wife Lisa Faulkner into his life after she competed in the celebrity spin-off in 2010. Though at the time, they were both in relationships and formed a platonic bond.

But a few years later, when they were both single, John plucked up the courage to ask her out on a date, in the form of a letter. He later admitted it was pretty 'cowardly', but it did the trick - and they went on to tie the knot in 2019.

John and Lisa met for the first time on Celebrity MasterChef and stayed friends (Getty Images)

Now the celebrity couple are besotted with each other and have a cooking show together (WireImage)

Both John, 58, and Lisa, 52, were married before, with actress Lisa previously wed to Chris Coghill, who played Tony King in EastEnders. The couple adopted a daughter together named Billie.

Meanwhile, John tied the knot with a woman named Jessica in 2000, and they went on to have two children together, a son and a daughter. John and Jessica separated in 2011 but they didn't initially divorce until 2014, when their union was reportedly dissolved in a matter of seconds at the High Court.

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In 2010, John met Lisa when she was a contestant on the show and they hit it off immediately, remaining friends after filming. "He was a judge on a show I loved and I was petrified of him. He was brilliant and gave us all tips so you didn't want to let him down," Lisa previously said. "All I could think was, 'That sauce hasn't worked'. I didn't see anything but food for three months. After I won, we did The Good Food Show and stuff. John and I always got on, but I never thought about me and him."

John admitted he felt 'cowardly' sending Lisa a letter to ask her out on a date (ITV)

Revealing how they eventually got together, Lisa told the Daily Mail in 2013 that everything changed after John wrote her a letter and asked her out to dinner. "John and I were friends. Neither of us thought of it as anything else until..." she said. "I don't know how things change, but something does. He asked me on a date. We went out for dinner. Then it was slightly different. I'm really, really happy. John and I are having such a nice time but we're taking things slowly. There are lots of other people to consider."

John has since confessed that his letter for Lisa was "cowardly" but it meant that there would be no awkwardness for him if she didn't want to date him. He told the Daily Mail: "I'd separated from my wife [Jessica] which was awful, and I was reluctant to approach Lisa face to face as I didn't fancy the prospect of her saying no, so I wrote her a letter. If I'd got no response, it wouldn't matter. Cowardly? S***, yeah. I'm as cowardly as they get."

But things worked out in his favour and they began dating before tying the knot. John previously shared the secret to a happy marriage, insisting that it is a properly made bed. Asked what makes their marriage work, John said: "A really well-made bed. You spend lots of time in it! Honestly, the bedroom - having that sanctuary of a place to go to, I think that's really important. And nice towels... Looking after yourself is as important as looking after each other."

A version of this story was published in May 2024.

Nia Dalton