James Martin fans have made a plea to the telly chef on Instagram following his recent statement concerning ‘bullying’ allegations.
ITV fave James, 51, broke his silence yesterday (Thursday, July 27) morning concerning claims about his behaviour on set.
The Saturday Morning host, who has also starred in Islands to Highlands and Great British Adventure for ITV, issued a joint statement with Blue Marlin Television in which he apologised for “any offence or upset caused, as he did at the time to the crew involved”.
Then late on Thursday evening James shared another statement on social media, confirming he has endured a cancer diagnosis.
Celebrity friends rallied around James as he poured his heart out online. And they were joined by dozens of his Insta followers, who also urged him to “stay strong” amid recent headlines.
James Martin responds to ‘bullying’ allegations
Repeating his apology, James noted he had decided to make a statement even though he has “always strived to keep my private life private”.
He explained: “The end of 2017 was one of the most fraught and difficult periods of my life. I was dealing with the death of my last living grandparent, my grandfather, and on account of work commitments I could not attend his funeral.”
James added his home was burgled later that month while he was away working – and he was “devastated” that long-term girlfriend Louise endured that alone.
James continued: “On top of this, I was then diagnosed with cancer on my face and I had to have surgery, which I couldn’t do until two days before Christmas when we had finished filming. Since then it has returned on several occasions and I have to have regular treatments.
“After all this stress I was in a very emotional state, and when after filming in early January 2018 I discovered my home had been flooded while filming, I was extremely upset. I can only say I am human and following a build-up of personal life pressure, I admit that I overreacted regarding the damage to my home.”
View this post on Instagram
Fans make plea to James Martin
Among those to offer their support to James in the post’s comments section were Dermot O’Leary, Natalie Imbruglia, Fred Sirieix and Phil Vickery.
Numerous chefs also sent their best wishes to him, insisting they had his back.
Atul Kochhar wrote: “Chin up my brother. Wear that beautiful smile and get on with cooking – don’t burn the food – guests are waiting in the dining room.
Richard Bertinet said: “You’ve nothing to justify to anyone James! You’re a top man and always so kind to everyone! Be strong.”
Lisa Goodwin-Allen hailed James as “a top bloke and an inspiration.” She added: “Keep doing what you do.”
There were also legions of fans expressing their outrage at James being recorded while he was ranting at crew members. The recording – alleged to be from 2018 – was leaked to a tabloid newspaper.
“Private conversations should remain private. Stay strong, you’re an amazing chef,” one commenter wrote.
Stay strong, you’re an amazing chef.
Someone else fumed: “Unbelievable that someone recorded you without your knowledge. Chin up, and normal people support you.”
While another person said: “Anyone would have reacted the same. Stay strong and know people have your back.”
Read more: James Martin tipped to stand down from his ITV job by the end of this year
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