James Martin’s girlfriend Kim Johnson appeared to confirm their recent engagement after she publicly referred to herself as the TV chef’s “fiancé”.
The personal trainer, 39, who has been dating the Saturday Kitchen star, 53, for two years, shared an image of one of Martin’s latest dishes on Instagram this week, adding the caption: “So proud of my fiancé.”
The Standard has contacted James Martin’s rep for comment.
The post follows claims that the chef proposed over the festive period, before reportedly gifting Johnson a £150,000 Land Rover, said to have been an engagement present.
If confirmed, the news would mark a notable change of heart for Martin, who has previously been vocal about his lack of interest in marriage.
Speaking to the Sunday People in 2019, he said: “Marriage doesn’t interest me in the slightest, mainly because I’ve catered for so many weddings, really.
“I admire people who do it, that’s fine, but I’m quite happy. I don’t need to spend 60 grand on a day, no, I’m more than happy thanks.”
Martin and Johnson’s relationship first became public in April last year, when they were photographed shopping for jewellery at Tiffany & Co in Mayfair.
The couple’s relationship took a serious turn in October, when Johnson reportedly moved into Martin’s country home in Hampshire.
The reported engagement comes two years after Martin’s split from his long-term partner Louise Davies.
The chef and television producer had been together for 12 years after meeting on the set of Celebrity Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? in 2011 and living together at his Hampshire property.
In December 2023, a spokesperson confirmed the pair had separated but remained on good terms.
Elsewhere, Martin opened up about his recent surgery after previously alarming his Saturday Kitchen colleagues with the results of the procedure.
The TV chef underwent refractive lens surgery late last year to dramatically improve his vision.
The procedure, also known as lens replacement surgery, involves replacing the eye's natural lens with an artificial one to correct common focusing or “refractive” conditions.
Soon after the surgery, Martin said that his vision was now so good it was “scaring” the Saturday Kitchen team as he could spot details about the set and the food from “a mile off”.
The cook - who previously battled cancer - has now reflected on the incredible impact of the operation on his day-to-day life.
"I recently treated myself to new eyes. I had refractive lens surgery about four months ago, which is a procedure that gives me better than 20/20 vision,” he told Prima magazine.
Martin went on: “It means I can wake up in the morning and read the newspaper without glasses."
When asked about the last thing that had surprised him, he added: "Seeing colours I’d never seen before after my eye surgery!
“I’m seeing details I’ve never seen in my life – I was looking at trees thinking, ‘Was it always that colour?’"
