James Martin reveals that a stranger dying right in front of him is the reason he left Saturday Kitchen Live

Anyone would probably do the same!

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by Emma Dodds |
Published on

The country was shaken when James Martin announced that he was leaving Saturday Kitchen Live after almost a decade as the host.

James, who hosted the cooking show from June 2006, stepped down in March last year.

He was initially replaced by guest hosts such as John Torrode, Michel Roux Jr. and The Hairy Bikers until it was decided that Donal Skehan, Matt Tebbutt, Michel Roux Jr, Angela Hartnett, and John Torode would alternate the role as host in November last year.

James appeared on Good Morning Britain today, saying that the moment a stranger "stood up on stage and passed away in front of me" was when he realised he needed to take a break.

He said: "That was over a year ago and that was the decision to change. I look back at all the work I'd done - four days off that year and five the year before and I thought something's got to change."

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James with his girlfriend of five year, Louise Davies (Credit: Getty Images) ©Getty Images

Talking about his five-year relationship with Louise Davies, who he lives with, he said: "For the first time in my life I'm content and happy".

Although it has not been confirmed who the man was that passed, it is though that he was a singer who was performing at the BBC Good Food Middle East Awards in 2015 in the UAE.

James' last episode on the show was very emotional - he started to well up when giving his last sign off

Susanna and Piers then addressed the elephant in the room - is James going to be the new face of Bake Off?

He said, in his usual deadpan manner: "I tried to put a bet on myself twice but they're not taking odds so I don't think that's going to happen."

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James doing his thing on new show James Martin's French Adventure (Credit: BBC Pictures) ©BBC Pictures

Saturday Kitchen Live began in 2002 with Gregg Wallace as the host. Antony Worrall Thompson then took over from the second series, with James stepping in as the main presenter in 2006. During his time on the show, he more than doubled the viewing figures to nearly 3 million.

Do you miss watching James on Saturday Kitchen Live? Do you prefer any of the new hosts? Let us know over on Facebook and Twitter.

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