John Torode's 'cowardly' move to Lisa Faulkner after sudden divorce

While everyone believes John Torode and Lisa Faulkner met in 2010 when she appeared on Celebrity MasterChef, this is not the case. The actress, 53, revealed the pair first crossed paths on This Morning in 1996. "Everyone thinks we met on MasterChef, but we'd actually met before that on This Morning in 1996. John doesn't remember! I thought he was a really fit chef," Lisa told Prima.

They reunited more than a decade later on the BBC cooking show, with Lisa admitting she was "terrified" of John - and what he might say about her food. She said: "I was terrified of him, but when we got to know each other afterwards I realised he was a great laugh. Then he wrote me a letter to ask me out, which I thought was very sweet." Their relationship didn't occur instantly, however, as both had other partners at the time.

In 2000, John tied the knot with Jessica Torode, and they went on to have two children, Lou and Jonah. The MasterChef judge also shares two sons, Casper and Marselle, with his former partner Angela.

John and Jessica parted ways in 2011, but their official divorce didn't come until 2014, when their marriage was reportedly dissolved in mere moments at the High Court.

Meanwhile, Lisa was still married to EastEnders star Chris Coghill when she signed up for MasterChef. The couple, who share adopted daughter Billie, also split in 2011.

John and Lisa's romance took a significant turn when he penned her a heartfelt letter asking her out for dinner. In a candid interview with Mail Online, John admitted the letter was a "cowardly" move.

He confessed: "I'd separated from my wife [Jessica] which was awful, and I was reluctant to approach Lisa face to face as I didn't fancy the prospect of her saying no, so I wrote her a letter. If I'd got no response, it wouldn't matter. Cowardly? S***, yeah. I'm as cowardly as they get."

Their story had a fairy-tale ending, with the couple exchanging vows at Aynhoe Park, a 17th-century country estate in Northamptonshire, in 2019.

When asked by the publication what the secret to their marriage is, he responded: "A really well-made bed," he said. "You spend lots of time in it! Honestly, the bedroom - having that sanctuary of a place to go to, I think that's really important. And nice towels... Looking after yourself is as important as looking after each other."