Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inbox We have more newsletters Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inbox We have more newsletters 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.