James Martin: ‘I didn’t think anyone would notice me leaving Saturday Kitchen’

Touched: James Martin thought nobody would notice him leaving Saturday Kitchen
BBC/Cactus TV
Jennifer Ruby28 April 2016
The Weekender

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James Martin was ‘touched’ by the public’s reaction to him leaving Saturday Kitchen as he didn’t think anyone would ‘notice’.

The TV chef, who stepped down at the end of March after 10 years hosting the show, has admitted to being overwhelmed by viewers’ support.

Speaking to Herald Scotland, the 43-year-old said that he found the reaction to his departure ‘surreal’.

“I said to the guys at the Beeb, 'Oh just put it out there, nobody will notice me leaving.' Pfft! It was on the front page of every newspaper going,” he said.

Martin added: “It's surreal, it's quite weird, but very touching for me, because for something that you've done for so long, for people to have that reaction with it, it's pretty moving.

“I'm a grown farmer's kid from Yorkshire, but I was touched with that one, that's pretty special.”

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Martin, who will still appear on Saturday Kitchen Best Bites on BBC Two, has recently teamed up with Asda to help provide recipes and cooking advice to families on a budget.

The chef appeared in his final episode of Saturday Kitchen on March 27, bidding his viewers an emotional farewell.

In a statement, he said: “I would like to personally thank all the viewers for turning Saturday Kitchen into a three million-plus smash hit. I could not have done it without them.”

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