Lisa Faulkner has admitted she was 'petrified' of John Torode when they first met on MasterChef. The 53-year-old actress appeared on the celebrity version of the show in 2010, when both she and Torode were still married to other people.
Despite now being married for six years, Faulkner initially found the Australian chef intimidating. She recalled: '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.'
The couple actually met almost 20 years earlier on This Morning, when Faulkner was a guest and Torode was cooking. However, Torode did not remember the encounter until a clip was shown on the programme. Faulkner said: 'I remembered it so well. He said he was nervous because it was his first time on telly. I thought he just seemed really arrogant.'
Torode eventually won Faulkner over with a love letter. He explained: 'I'd separated from my wife 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.' The letter led to a date, and the couple married in 2019.
Torode recently identified himself as the person alleged to have used racist language on the set of MasterChef, following an investigation into his former co-star. He denies the allegation and has no recollection of the incident. The BBC has confirmed his contract will not be renewed.
