James Martin's mum 'cried her eyes out' over his career decision before fame

James Martin is a staple of Saturday morning TV

James Martin has shared how his career obsession once left his mum "in tears".

The celebrated Saturday Kitchen chef credits his upbringing on the Castle Howard estate and his early kitchen adventures with his mum for sparking his culinary passion.

Determined to pursue his dream, James worked tirelessly to gain the necessary qualifications and experience. Speaking on The Travel Diaries podcast last year, the 51-year-old chef fondly recounted how his family has always been supportive.

Discussing the impact of his public life on his family, James remarked: "They're still grounded, they're still the same people."

James, according to the Express, shared that it was a joy to share his success with his family and his "greatest achievement" so far was buying a house for his mum.

He continued: "You wouldn't have dreamed about that when I was a young kid working in London when my mum used to visit me and cry her eyes out and say, 'What are you doing working 19 hours a day?

"She'd sit and cry her eyes out but you stick at it, not because you wanted to do it financially or because it becomes Instagrammable or Twitter and all that sort of stuff, you stick at it because it was the job you love."

James honed his culinary skills at Hostellerie De Plaisance, Saint-Emilion in France, followed by the three-star-Michelin restaurant Maison Troisgros in Roanne, before returning to London to work in various restaurants.

He first graced our television screens in the late 1990s on shows including; James Martin: Yorkshire's Finest, Ready Steady Cook and The Big Breakfast.

After several more TV appearances, James started hosting his own show on the BBC, Saturday Kitchen. The presenter held the role for a decade before moving to ITV for his current show, James Martin's Saturday Morning.

While much is known about his career, James prefers to keep his private life under wraps and seldom talks about his loved ones.

Back in 2020, during a heart-to-heart with Prima Magazine, the culinary whizz confessed that "the biggest low" of his career was that he had "given up everything for it", including starting a family.

He continued to share that he often found himself looking at his friends who have settled down and started families, causing him to reflect on his own life choices which were always driven by his demanding career.

"I look at my mates and they're all married with kids, and that's not the case for me because I've been so focused on work. The level of commitment it requires and the choices you have to make have a huge impact," he revealed.

At that time, James was romantically involved with Louise Davies, but they parted ways last year. The ITV star has since moved on and is currently seeing Kim Johnson, the former wife of millionaire Arun Nayar.