JAMES Martin has opened up about his house catching fire after he accidentally caused a “huge explosion” in his kitchen.
The Saturday Kitchen chef spoke about the terrifying incident that took place in his Hampshire home, while trading war stories from the kitchen with fellow cook Simon Rimmer.
Speaking on his Grilling podcast, James explained: “I set my side of my house on fire.”
“They [the builders] decided to build an Italian pizza oven roof, instead of having metal, built it out of wood, which is quite handy.”
“Next minute, there was an almighty bang,” he continued.
“It was like, honestly, it was [a] huge explosion, and you get bits of lamb chops, pork chops, sausages flying over the top of this house. It was massive.”
He went on to explain there was an “air gap in the brickwork that overheated and exploded.”
“The image that I’ve got is just chops going about 20-30 feet in the air,” he added. “It was hilarious.”
Thankfully, no one was injured in the incident, despite his father standing directly next to the explosion, and once the fire was out they carried on as if nothing had happened.
James, 54, recently went public with new girlfriend Kim Johnson, following his split with Who Wants To Be A Millionaire producer, Louise Davies after 12 years.
The star has also opened up about his health scare, which saw him diagnosed for facial cancer in 2018.
In November 2023, James revealed he was taking a break from work in order to receive treatment, but by April he told Lorraine he was on the mend, with his stitches falling out following surgery.
The dedicated chef spoke to Simon Rimmer about the pressure he puts on himself during work, admitting he would sometimes sleep in a camper van to make sure he was at jobs on time.
Simon spoke highly of James’s dedication, saying it is incredible he decided to work with such focus when he could have “kicked back a little bit” or “become a little bit arrogant”.
When asked why, James confessed: “Several things… I worry about it ending for sure, not that I’m pressed about it now as much as I was. But I still care more than I did before, if that makes sense?
“Because when I do This Morning, none of the home economists can understand why I’m in there at five o’clock in the morning. They don’t understand.”
