James Martin reveals he quit Saturday Kitchen after stranger's death

James Martin has revealed he ended his 10 years stint at Saturday Kitchen after a stranger died in front of him.

Martin, 44, stepped down from hosting duties after the incident, which he said made him reassess his own life.

The TV chef recalled the moment on Good Morning Britain, telling Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid: “I was chatting to him and he stood up on stage and collapsed and passed away in front of me and that was my decision to change.

“I looked back at all the work I’d done and had four days off that year and five days off the previous year and I thought something has got to change.

“That was part of the reason why I gave up the Saturday morning job.”

Martin said he was shocked by the reaction to his departure from the BBC cookery show as he thought it wouldn’t be a “big deal”.

He said: “I didn’t think leaving Saturday Kitchen would be such a big deal. I genuinely said to my agent, ‘Stick it out there, but no one will be bothered’.

“Next minute it was all over the papers. It was like One Direction splitting up.”

Martin – who was on the show to promote his new cooking series, James Martin's French Adventure – said he is now happier than he has ever been.

Avoiding Morgan’s question about whether or not he has found love he said: “I’ll stick to France thank you very much. I’m happy. For the first time in my life I’m content and happy.”

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