Lisa Faulkner and John Torode, stars of John and Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen, have a rule their family must follow when they sit down for dinner.
Actress and cook Lisa, 51, married husband and Masterchef star John Torode, 58, in 2019 after several years together.
Both were married previously, and had children with their former partners.
Lisa has opened up in interviews about the joys and occasionally quirky circumstances relating to her blended family.
And last year she also addressed another strict requirement that needs to be obeyed when they spend time together.
Lisa Faulkner and John Torode family life
Ex Spooks star Lisa was once married to former EastEnders actor Chris Coghill.
They got hitched in 2005 after co-starring in telly drama Burn It. They adopted daughter Billie, who is now 16, a year later after they wed in 2006.
However, they separated and divorced in 2011.
Aussie chef John, meanwhile, is a dad of four. He was previously married in 2000 before he and his former wife Jessica separated in 2011. They eventually divorced in 2014.
John and Jessica are parents to Jonah, 19, and 17-year-old Lulu. John also is father to his adult children Casper and Marselle from previous relationships.
So it must get rather packed around the table during family get togethers! However Lisa ensures any time they get to spend with one another is quality time.
Lisa Faulkner on strict family rule
Speaking to the Mirror, Lisa explained family members may not connect as well as they do at the dinner table due to their phones.
She believes phones should be put away at such times to ensure families can communicate properly with each other.
And she practices what she preaches, too.
Lisa said: “John and I have always had a rule that if we’re sitting down as a family or with friends, we don’t have our phones.”
“If you’re on the run and having breakfast or grabbing lunch then I totally get that you’ll be on your phone, we don’t have a rule then. But if we’re having dinner together as a family, we put our phones away.
“Having kids of different ages, especially teenagers, it’s really nice to just be able to connect. Even if it’s about cooking or making something or setting a table, just interacting with people.”
She emphasised her point by noting the kids spend so much of their time on their mobiles that even stacking the dishwasher together can prove a “positive interaction”.
And Lisa wouldn’t have it any other way. She’s previously described her home life: “I am happiest when I have a house full of people, music on and I am in the kitchen cooking, with the dog at my feet waiting for scraps.”
Read more: John Torode’s children have rather unflattering nickname for step-mum Lisa Faulkner
John and Lisa’s Christmas Kitchen is on ITV at 11.35am on December 23.
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