James Martin admits TV rep ‘slammed phone down’ on him and feared career ‘wouldn’t last’

James Martin of Saturday Morning

Chef James Martin of Saturday Morning (Image: Getty)

is now one of the most famous faces of Saturday morning TV – but before he became a national household name and purchased a country mansion with 1.5 acres of land, he was struggling.

Speaking on in May last year, celebrity chef James told of how he spent six months sleeping on hotel sofas – and the one woman who provided the big break he needed to get into television. “I used to sleep on the hotel sofa for six months and then [after that], I lived above a Chinese and Indian restaurant for two years paying £30 a week!” he revealed.

Then he was introduced to a TV producer, Mary Ramsay, at one of the restaurants where he worked, who arranged a car to collect him and bring him to London to show off his culinary skills in an audition. “She said, ‘Look, I’m the new producer of this cooking format show – have you got an agent?'”

A stunned James exclaimed: “An agent? I can’t [even] afford a house! I used to sleep on the sofa of the hotel, no money, nothing.” She offered him a highly sought after audition, which he was forced to juggle with his fast-paced chef job at the time – and he was forced to work through the night to get everything finished and be ready to go.

“I worked through til 3.00 in the morning to get prepped ready for lunch,” he revealed, adding that a car had picked the bleary-eyed TV hopeful up just four hours later. “I remember this car arriving – it was my first ever time in a chauffeur-driven car,” he marvelled.

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James Martin opened up on his early beginnings

James Martin opened up on his early beginnings in a recent podcast w (Image: Getty)

The cooking demonstration went well, as did mingling with others in the industry – but the producer then chose the worst possible time to call him back – and he almost missed out on the opportunity altogether.

Continuing the story, he explained: “All of a sudden she rang me in the middle of service at 9pm on Friday.

“The call went through to the kitchen and I slammed the phone down!”

There was a reason for his haste – the pastry chef was on the line at the same time.

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James Martin out on the town

James Martin out on the town (Image: Getty)

The producer retaliated when he finally got a free moment to call her back, and mirrored his earlier actions.

“I phoned her up after service and she slammed the phone down on me!” he cringed.

However, Mark had a word of caution to offer to everyone in the showbiz industry – never to call a chef during service, no matter what the reason might be.

In spite of the early hiccup, James got his big break – and his lifestyle now couldn’t be more different from the one he led when he was forced to sleep on a cramped sofa.

The Ready Steady Cook and Saturday Morning favourite is now well-known to the nation and the profits from his TV earnings have secured him a seven bedroom house on a luxurious Hampshire estate.

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