MasterChef judge John Torode may come across as forthright on the show, but he's notably more reserved when it comes to romantic matters. At 59, John is wed to actress Lisa Faulkner, and together they host John and Lisa's Weekend Kitchen on ITV. Express.co.uk takes an inside look into the TV chef's love life as he opened up about his first marriage and his "cowardly" move following their separation. John, at 52 years old, first encountered Lisa when she competed on Celebrity MasterChef in 2010; they developed a deep friendship that eventually turned into love. Despite their immediate connection, Lisa maintains their relationship remained platonic initially. "He was a judge on a show I loved and I was petrified of him. He was brilliant and gave us all tips so you didn't want to let him down," she told the Mirror. "All I could think was, 'That sauce hasn't worked'. I didn't see anything but food for three months. After I won, we did The Good Food Show and stuff. John and I always got on, but I never thought about me and him."

Each has a history of previous marriages – Lisa was previously married to Chris Coghill of EastEnders fame, with whom she shares her adopted daughter Billie, and John to a woman named Jessica, with whom he has a son and a daughter. John's separation from Jessica came in 2011, and their divorce wasn't finalised until 2014 in a swift High Court proceeding.

Lisa divulged to the Daily Mail in 2013 the romantic tale of how she and John became an item, attributing the shift in their relationship to a heartfelt letter he sent inviting her out for dinner. "John and I were friends. Neither of us thought of it as anything else until..." she reminisced.

"I don't know how things change, but something does. He asked me on a date. We went out for dinner. Then it was slightly different. I'm really, really happy. John and I are having such a nice time but we're taking things slowly. There are lots of other people to consider."

John later admitted that his method of reaching out to Lisa via letter was 'cowardly', but it spared him potential embarrassment if she declined his advances.

He explained to the Daily Mail: "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."

Fortunately for John, his gamble paid off and the couple started dating. They exchanged vows in October 2019 and have since revealed their secret to marital bliss, claiming it's all about the details like a well-made bed.

When quizzed about the key to their successful marriage, John, aged 57, shared: "A really well-made bed. 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."

Undoubtedly, their palpable chemistry plays a part, as Lisa revealed in an interview: "We really like and fancy each other!" Recently, Lisa expressed her immense pride for her husband who, in February, received his MBE from the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace, followed by a lavish celebratory meal.

Speaking to OK Magazine, she gushed: "I was really proud of John. It's an amazing achievement and the fact he got to meet Prince William! Out of everybody in the Royal family, that's who I'd have liked to have met!".