I CAN'T WATCH MYSELF ON TV

TV CHEF JAMES MARTIN ON WHY HE DOESN'T LIKE TO REHEARSE.

- BY LAUREN TAYLOR

JAMES Martin may have been on TV since the mid-90s, but that doesn’t mean he wants to see himself on screen.

“I've never watched myself in over 30 years of doing it. I can’t watch it, I just can’t - it’s really weird,” says the 53-year-old.

The chef made his name on the likes of Ready Steady Cook and The Big Breakfast, before taking over hosting BBCI’s Saturday Kitchen in 2006 - filmed live - and moving to ITV’s James Martin’s Saturday Morning in 2017.

“I was always taught, if you’re going to watch yourself, you'll change. I don’t really want to do that.”

Instead, the feedback tends to come from his mum. “Usually my mum phones me up and says, “That shirt looks s**t - you can’t wear that again! That's usually the comment I get on Saturday morning - ‘What the bloody hell you wearing that shirt for?’ That'll be the one, after all these years.

“Or, ‘What were you doing the night before? Your hair looks a bloody state. You need to get it cut!

“It keeps you very grounded,” he adds, with a laugh.

The prerecorded Saturday Morning, now in its ninth year, sees James welcome celebrated chefs and celebrities into his home and outdoor kitchen. He rustles up all manner of dishes for his guests to try - while other top chefs share some of theirs too - and viewers send in their culinary questions.