Celebrity chef James Martin, known for BBC's Saturday Kitchen, has reportedly become engaged to girlfriend Kim Johnson, despite previously vowing he would never marry. The 53-year-old chef proposed at the end of last year, presenting the 39-year-old personal trainer with a £150,000 Land Rover Defender alongside an engagement ring. Kim shared her excitement on Instagram, declaring she was 'speechless'.
Martin, who once insisted marriage didn't interest him, has changed his tune since meeting Johnson. In 2019, he said: 'Marriage doesn’t interest me in the slightest, mainly because I’ve catered for so many weddings. I don’t need to spend 60 grand on a day.'
The chef also revealed Johnson's 'obsession' with Greggs bacon sandwiches, admitting he avoids the high street bakery for fear of being photographed. 'My other half is obsessed now with Greggs bacon sandwiches,' he said on the Quiet Coach podcast. 'We now have to stop everywhere to get a Greggs bacon sandwich — but I went, “I can’t go in and get a Greggs!”'
Despite his reluctance, Martin indulged her passion with a taste-test shootout at various outlets. He said Pret won because it was 'properly buttered', but Johnson preferred Greggs, as 'the bacon was a little bit sweaty'. Martin added: 'She does make the best bacon sandwiches in the world, but she’s just the taste tester, and so Greggs it is.'
Johnson has also influenced Martin's kitchen, taking a bread-making course with Richard Bertinet and requesting a new electric mixer. Martin, who left school with no qualifications due to dyslexia, has built a successful career as a chef and TV personality, working at Michelin-starred restaurants in France and England before fronting shows like James Martin: Yorkshire's Finest.
