Writing for the Daily Mail in October 2008, James - who had by then moved on with a beauty queen - explained how their age gap and wealth got in the way of their relationship.
James Martin shocked fans this week when MailOnline exclusively revealed that he had split from his girlfriend of 12 years and moved on with Arun Nayer's personal trainer ex-wife, Kim Johnson.
The chef and the film boss first met at a charity auction in 2001 when Barbara, then 41, paid £18,000 to have him cook a meal for her when he was 29-years-old and a star on the rise. He admitted he was 'a bit of a late starter when it came to women' and noted that when accompanying Barbara to glitzy film premieres and hobnobbing with the stars of Bond films he felt 'out of my depth, a spare part.'
He confessed: 'When we went to functions I felt uncomfortable when people looked at me, this nobody, and probably thought,"He's with her for the money."' A spokesperson for the TV chef, 51, confirmed James and Louise parted ways in December 2023 and remain firm friends And if this generosity wasn't tricky enough - for instance, what exactly does a man do with such a valuable work of art? - Barbara then insisted on buying me a state-of-the-art Aston Martin DBS, chassis number 007, costing an eye-watering £180,000. Just because I said I liked it.
When I was seven, I had boasted to my grandfather that I wanted to be a head chef by the age of 30, have my own restaurant at 35 and own a Ferrari when I was 40. I never imagined I would achieve those ambitions by the time I was 24. James revealed: 'Barbara insisted on buying me a state-of-the-art Aston Martin DBS, chassis number 007, costing an eye-watering £180,000. Just because I said I liked it'
The following day I told my then personal assistant Erica about the evening. She decided to play Cupid, calling Barbara's PA. It transpired that Barbara's PA was trying to organise a surprise for her birthday, so I offered to cook. The age difference never appeared to be a problem. I've always liked independent women: we both had strong opinions and plenty to say for ourselves, so life was never boring.
Inside was a set of car keys with a prancing horse on the fob and a note from Barbara which read: 'Enjoy Beverly Hills, I'll see you later, love B.' Sorry? What? Me? While I was trying to get my head around that, Nicole Kidman sat in front of me. She too turned around. 'Hi, Barb, hi, James.' Cars, however, are a great leveller. That's why I got on with Daniel Craig. We sat opposite each other at dinner in a private room at Nobu in Park Lane one night, chatting about motors.
James confessed: 'I got on with Daniel Craig. We sat opposite each other at dinner in a private room at Nobu in Park Lane one night, chatting about motors' 'That's f****** ace,' I said. 'It looks the b*******.' We went through the colour chart and found the perfect silver. So there you go, if you didn't like the colour of the DBS in Casino Royale, blame me.
In the four-and-a-half years Barbara and I were together there were many strange Bond- related moments. If there's anyone who thinks Barbara got where she is because her dad was a legendary film producer, they are mistaken. She showed me old letters from some film executives who wanted Eddie Murphy to be Bond. Can you imagine?
James shared: 'In the four-and-a-half years Barbara and I were together there were many strange Bond- related moments' I was recording three episodes of Ready Steady Cook the next day. I arrived at the studio in South London with this painting in a brown paper bag in the boot of my Audi because I wouldn't let it out of my sight. I locked it in my dressing room for six hours while I recorded the shows.
Advertisement Richard met me at the door, along with a security guard, and led me to the vault. As Richard was filling in all the paperwork he asked me for the value of the piece, to which I replied: 'I don't know.' I still don't. Instead, she bought me a magnificent pencil drawing of Whitstable by L. S. Lowry instead . I still have all four in a vault and I go to see them every now and then.
I made an admiring remark about it. Barbara got me an identical ring that Christmas, inscribing inside with our saying: Being with you is as easy as breathing. Then I realised that if it was that much, the card would be declined anyway so it didn't really matter.I knew I had a big tax bill coming at the end of the next quarter, so I got my head down and worked extremely hard.
If I owned 50 restaurants then maybe I would have been able to move more comfortably in her circles but as it was I could not compete. I told her not to be so ridiculous but she was already saying: 'Yes, we'll have it black, with black interior, and we'll have the chassis number 007.' I continued to say: 'No, we won't.'
It was a defining moment in our relationship. Deep down, I knew there was always going to be an imbalance. James cut a casual figure for the outing, sporting a black gilet with a leather trim layered over a light blue shirt. Kim is the ex-wife of businessman Arun Nayar who was previously married to actress Elizabeth Hurley from 2007 to 2011.
The chef and the TV producer, 47, first began dating in 2011 after they met on the set of Celebrity Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?Kim is the ex-wife of Arun Nayar, tying the knot in July 2016, before divorcing the following year The couple lived together in a mansion in Hampshire during their relationship with James previously revealing they had no plans to ever marry.
'I will be back fighting at the end of February but I'm going on a little bit of a break to get that sorted.'Kim's passion for fitness is clear in bikini snaps she has shared on social media
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