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Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
BBC star reveals shock plans to leave TV as he reveals major career move
CELEBRITY chef Nick Nairn revealed he's swapped pans for pots — to plant and grow his own produce. The famous cook, who spent 30 years in showbiz, said he doesn't miss a TV career. 4 Nick Nairn is focusing on his gardening. Credit: Andrew Barr 4 He's taken a step back from TV work. Credit: Andrew Barr 4 The cook school has been training chefs for 25 years. Credit: Andrew Barr 4 The TV star teaches two classes a week. Credit: Andrew Barr And he admitted: 'If I never stood in front of a camera again, it wouldn't bother me.' Nick, who found fame on Ready, Steady Cook and Wild Harvest in the mid-90s, suffered a bitter blow when his Nairn's restaurant in Bridge of Allan, Stirlingshire, closed last year. But as part of his lifestyle overhaul, he is now reinvesting in his famous cook school and ploughing his efforts into cultivating his own ingredients. Nick — who co-hosted The Great Food Guys with Dougie Vipond for four series until 2021 and often guested on pal James Martin's shows, including STV's Saturday Morning — says: 'When I was younger, I was ambitious. I liked the money. 'I liked the fame. I liked the whole lifestyle thing. But my whole philosophy has changed. I've been there and done it and honestly, if I never stood in front of a camera again, it wouldn't bother me. 'Because there's a huge amount of time travelling and hanging about with television. Don't get me wrong, I was very lucky. 'Filming's taken me all over the world to Australia, New Zealand, America and Canada, and I've enjoyed it immensely, but I'm 66 now. I'm an old age pensioner. 'So now I do three days a week in my garden and two classes a week in my cook school and I absolutely love it.' Former merchant seaman Nick, from Port of Menteith, Stirlingshire, couldn't even boil an egg until he was 24. But he taught himself to cook on a four-ring electric stove before going into the hospitality trade in 1986. He earned his first coveted Michelin star in 1991, at the age of 31, making him the youngest Scots chef to be awarded the culinary accolade at the time. In 2000, he opened the Nick Nairn Cook School by the Lake of Menteith, which boomed when financial institutions started using it for team-building exercises. But his first major crisis struck with the credit crunch in 2008, as panic in the banking markets swept the globe. 'Devastated' Gregg Wallace FIRED by BBC over MasterChef sexual comments He recalls: 'We're fully booked for six months ahead, and the next minute the phone was going every five seconds with companies cancelling their bookings.' Unperturbed, Nick decided to branch out and open a second cook school in Aberdeen in 2012. He ploughed hundreds of thousands of pounds into the venture, later opening Nick's Pizza Bar in the Granite City, too. He says: 'Aberdeen was still very buoyant as oil and gas was doing really well. 'But opening the cook school was a lot of hard work and business was slow to start with. 'Then it really took off in 2013 and we had two amazing years where we were packed out seven days a week. 'Of course, in 2015 we had the oil price crash. Oil went from $110 to $28 a barrel overnight, and our businesses came to a shuddering halt.' But worse followed in 2017, when Nick was injured in a street attack by oil worker Scott Smith. Thug Smith was later fined £900 after admitting the assault, which left Nick with two black eyes and a bloody nose. He says: 'As well as getting assaulted by some drunk in the street, I then tripped in a hotel and broke my ankle and finger.' The chef decided to make a real go of the restaurant business, opening Nick's in Bridge of Allan in February 2020 — a month before Covid saw the entire world grind to a halt. Then, in August 2021, a faulty fryer caused a huge blaze in the packed restaurant, gutting the premises. Incredibly, no one was hurt. Nick, who lives with his third wife Julia, explains: 'One of the chefs screamed, 'Get out'. 'I think everybody thought it was a terrorist attack, so they jumped up and left their phones and coats. 'I was cooking in Port of Menteith so my wife headed off to Bridge of Allan. She could see a big plume of smoke from miles away — that was literally our business going up in smoke.' After a full refurbishment, Nick's reopened as Nairn's in July 2023. The whole sorry saga ended last year amid an alleged 'bitter row' with the restaurant's landlord. Amid the upheaval, Nick's Port of Menteith cook school had also flooded in 2021. So it's little wonder the chef is enjoying a quieter life. He is focusing on his beloved first cook school, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Nick, who also runs The Kailyard in Hilton's Dunblane Hydro, says: 'Everything has come full circle. I'd almost become a full-time telly chef and my work took me away from home a lot of the time. 'But Lake of Menteith is kind of like paradise. I have a big polytunnel covering 100 square metres and I have my raised beds outside and just love growing my own produce. 'We cook everything from scratch. I love it. TV got in the way of this before, but it won't again.' For more information on Nick Nairn's Cook School or restaurant, visit
Daily Mirror
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
James Martin's 'controversial' five ingredient lunch after weight loss
James Martin has been open about his weight loss journey, which saw him drop from 17 stone to 14 stone. The chef has shared the unusual sandwich he loves to eat for lunch TV chef James Martin has shared his penchant for a "controversial" but "off the charts" lunch that he's adored since childhood, despite recently shedding an impressive 3st. The culinary maestro, known for his appearances on Ready, Steady Cook, slimmed down from 17 stone to 14 stone after taking part in Strictly Come Dancing nearly two decades ago. He says the transformation also meant he found it easier getting into his beloved sports cars. James has been quite candid about his dietary overhaul, which involved cutting back on sugary sodas and incorporating more fish. However, he admits there's one particular lunchtime treat he can't resist. During a chat on the Good Food podcast with Samuel Goldsmith last year, James divulged his recipe for this unique sandwich, a throwback to his younger days. He acknowledges it might not win any healthy eating awards, but insists it's a must-try, reports Devon Live. James detailed the creation process: "People are going to freak out about this but you have to try it. You need white sliced bread, not fancy ciabatta or sourdough, your cheapest white sliced bread, the thin one, then you butter it, but you butter it in chunks, so you slice the butter and that sits on it. "Here's the controversial bit. You take a banana, put it in a bowl, mush it up, spread that on it. Take a Cadbury's Flake, sprinkle that on it. "A few plain crisps, put the bread on it, press it down, wrap it in clingfilm, leave it in a rucksack for about a day, somewhere warm, and then eat it. Off the charts. "Heston Blumenthal will have a dish, I swear to God. That used to be my go-to sandwich as a kid. It's weird but it's ace." James shared that he used to relish the sandwich as a youngster. He would often forget to eat his lunch, instead finding the sandwich in his backpack the next day and devouring it. On the Spooning with Mark Wogan podcast, James expressed surprise at his survival given his unusual diet. He remarked: "Looking at this diet, it's a wonder I'm still alive really." James has previously disclosed that he managed to shed weight without resorting to the gym. Instead, he claims to walk extensively every day. In an interview with Best magazine, he revealed: "I have a gym upstairs, but I haven't used it though. I do about 20 to 30,000 steps a day walking my dogs." The NHS advocates for a brisk 10 to 15 minute walk each day as part of an adult's recommended 150 minutes of exercise. It highlights walking as a "sometimes overlooked" form of exercise that can boost stamina, burn calories, and promote heart health. Chatting with Mark, James confessed his love for racing cars, but admitted he had difficulty getting out of them before shedding weight. He stated: "It comes down to the fact that I race cars, or I still try and race a few cars and I actually struggle to get out of them now. "Getting in them, you kind of fall in them, but then you've got to get out of them and it just doesn't look very good." The chef will be returning with James Martin's Saturday Morning at 9.30am on ITV One. James will be serving up food for former model Jodie Kidd while enjoying recipes from Aktar Islam, Emily Scott, and Corrin Harrison.
Daily Mail
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The Big Brother curse: All the housemates' messy splits after finding love on the show - as Jordan Sangha and Henry Southan call it quits
Big Brother has become renowned for its bust-ups, tears and bizarre antics across 25 years on our screens. But it has also provided the platform for many budding romances, with some housemates getting rather comfortable in each other's company and starting relationships as a result. Unfortunately most end in abject failure, spawning rumours of a Big Brother curse to match that of its primetime rival Strictly Come Dancing. It all kicked off in 2001, when Helen Adams fell for Paul Clarke despite having a boyfriend, leading to a five-year romance once they got back into the real world before realising they were better as friends. Since that ill-fated couple collapsed, various contestants have hooked up and later broken up, with one pair even starting a show together and another blaming a conman for ending their relationship. Now, following the news that Jordan Sangha and Henry Southan have split after 17 months, they can take solace in the fact they join a long tradition of lovers who have broken up after meeting on the show. Helen Adams and Paul Clarke The original Big Brother love story, Helen and Paul got on incredibly well from the moment they met each other in the second series in 2001. Helen, now a 46-year-old hairdresser, was just 22 when she took part in the show and quickly became one of the favourites to win with her lovable and ditsy nature. The pair captured the public imagination and Helen finished second behind winner Brian Dowling, and was soon seen embracing and reuniting with Paul outside the house. They went on to date for five years and even moved in together, but opted to keep their romance out of the spotlight. Helen made a slew of TV appearances on shows such as Loose Women, GMTV and Ready, Steady Cook before she and Paul split in 2006. The couple blamed the pressures of fame on their breakup, with Paul telling Heat Magazine at the time: 'For the last five years, on a daily basis people have been asking me, "how's Helen? When are you getting married?", and I've never met these people before in my life. It starts to drain you. 'It's not that I don't like talking about Helen, I just wanted to get away from it and be a private person again.' Helen added: 'I felt like the Wicked Witch because I was first to say something. But then Paul said to me, "would you want to marry me?" and I said, "I don't think I would" and he said, "well, I don't want to marry you either". And we laughed.' Paul then stepped out of the limelight and built a successful career in car design. It's thought that after moving to Bristol to work in hairdressing, Helen has since married and now has a daughter. Sophie Pritchard and Lee Davey Lee and Sophie only spent eight days together in the house during the 2002 season but it was long enough to kickstart a very public romance. The couple, whose relationship blossomed from Sophie's arrival on day 10 until Lee's departure on day 18, were the first ever Big Brother housemates to get married after Lee proposed live on breakfast TV. Sophie said at the time: 'I'd got the newspaper and seen who'd gone in and thought, "Oh, he's quite cute, I like him." 'And when I was in I thought, "He's even cuter in real life." We did flirt, but we didn't kiss in the house because he had a girlfriend.' The pair exchanged vows a year later at their star-studded wedding in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, and went on to have a son called Maxwell - but things ended 10 months later. While Sophie appears to have disappeared off the showbiz radar, bodybuilder Lee went on to work as a stripper in Dream Boys. He then spent time writing for the French football website PSG Talk, before joining talkSPORT. Michelle Bass and Stuart Wilson Michelle and Stuart starred on the fifth season of the show in 2004 and they could not wait to begin their passionate romance together. So much so, they are believed to have been the first ever couple to have had sex in the Big Brother house. The popular pair's relationship inspired a 'Fake Wedding' challenge on the show, although Stuart passed the honour onto two fellow contestants as he 'felt weird' about it. They also famously romped under the kitchen table, but unfortunately the pair split up just one year after their stint on the show. Michelle went on to marry hypnotist Steve McKeown and re-entered the iconic house for Ultimate Big Brother in 2010, making it to the semi-finals. 'Chicken Stu', meanwhile, had failed auditions for James Bourne's band Son of Dork. Speaking about the end of her relationship with Stu in 2018, Michelle told The Sun: 'I think me and Stu were together for a year after Big Brother but we just went our separate ways in the end. It just wasn't meant to be.' Pete Bennett and Nikki Grahame Big Brother 7 winner Pete and Northwood native Nikki fell for each other in the house and enjoyed a brief romance after leaving the show. On screen, they bonded over their vulnerabilities, with Pete famously becoming the first contestant to have Tourette's syndrome, while Nikki had battled anorexia. He called off their romance after just a month, but the pair remained close friends. 'Without Big Brother to tell her off she was another level,' Pete said at the time. 'I think it could've ended nicer but, no, I've got no regrets.' Nikki sadly died in 2021 at the age of 38 after a tough fight against anorexia. In the weeks before her tragic death, Pete visited the star and shared a snap of the pair hugging. After she passed, he paid tribute by saying: 'We loved you, Nik. You were a true winner. You were great, you were beautiful, you rocked it, mate. Just want to say, we'll miss you, babe.' Nikki previously opened up about her relationship with Pete, noting that she 'loved him' at the time but it was 'never meant to be'. She said: 'I hated it when I realised I was falling in love with Pete Bennett. It was never meant to be. But I loved him at the time. Truly, it was special.' Chanelle Hayes and Ziggy Lichman They were fondly known as the 'Posh and Becks' of the Big Brother world after they appeared on the show in 2007, but sadly ended up splitting acrimoniously six months on following a series of blazing rows. Ziggy and Chanelle formed an infamous on/off relationship in the house which culminated in Ziggy, aka Zachary, using the iconic line 'it's not you it's me' before she left the house voluntarily on Day 62. He was 26 when he appeared on the series and finished in fourth, keeping a low-profile since leaving the show. Meanwhile, Chanelle - who was just 18 when she entered the house - stayed in the public eye. In 2018, they reunited on Loose Women to talk about their former romance. Mother-of-two Chanelle accused Ziggy of ghosting her back in the day, but he had no doubt they were in love. She said in 2020: 'We'll chat every now and again. I don't talk to anybody else from the show really.' Lisa Appleton and Mario Marconi Big Brother legend Lisa soared to fame in 2008 when she and Mario made history as the first couple to enter the house together. Their relationship remained a secret to their housemates until a shock task revealed all. Things took an even more dramatic turn when Mario proposed on Big Brother and they eventually got married in 2010 on the show The Wedding House. But in 2013 they called time on their eight-and-a-half year romance, with Lisa claiming that they had been 'unhappy for a while'. She told Manchester Evening News: 'After a few years of highs, I hit rock bottom.' Lisa explained the final straw in the pair's marriage came when they were duped by convicted conman Selva Carmichael into being followed by cameras for six months to film a fake reality show. Carmichael - dubbed 'The Silver Fox' - 'destroyed' her two-year marriage to Mario with his lies after they filmed for 18 hours a day for a documentary which they believed would make them stars. Lisa said: 'He destroyed my life, confidence and dignity. When he disappeared, we were penniless and homeless, we had nothing. Mario and I were unhappy for a while – our whole world fell apart around us when we got conned.' It was revealed in 2023 that Lisa has been forced to work as a delivery driver to make ends meet, years after starring on the reality show. She suffered hardships as a result of her newfound fame, admitting she was turned away by potential employers which resulted in her being made homeless. After her split from Mario, Lisa struggled with depression and comfort eating, battling a pork sausage addiction that saw her eating up to 50 bangers a day. Josie Gibson and John James Parton This Morning presenter Josie soared to victory in the 11th series of the show in 2010, winning an incredible 77 per cent of the public vote, the most in history. The 'randy mare' was helped by her high-profile relationship with fellow contestant John James, with whom she later starred in a spin-off show Josie And John James: What Happened Next. Their love faded fast, however, and by 2012 they had split up. Josie has become one of the most recognisable faces on British television, thanks to her popular presenting stints on This Morning and a successful run on I'm A Celebrity in 2023. She is mother to Reggie, seven, and recently hosted a show titled Around The World In First Class where she sampled the culinary delights and general luxury of cabins on some of the world's most fancy planes. John James, meanwhile, returned to his native Australia where he works as a DJ in Melbourne, also appearing as a bombshell on the first season of Love Island Australia. Jordan Sangha and Henry Southan Sadly they became the latest victim of the Big Brother romance curse on Tuesday as they revealed they had split after 17 months together Jordan and Henry had viewers gripped as their close friendship blossomed into romance on ITV's first series of BB in 2023, and just a week after the season ended, they made their relationship official. While they began as close pals, things took a turn when Henry admitted he was developing feelings for his fellow contestant, despite the latter's confession he had his own confusing connection with housemate Matty. After celebrating Jordan's Big Brother victory at a boozy wrap party, the pair revealed that it took just three days for them to reunite. Jordan said: 'It was a strange one for me, but when I first got your number I was a bit taken aback that this person actually exists in the real world.' Back in March last year, the couple shared how they were 'taken aback' to see the 'endearing' reactions from fans of their romance on social media. The pair had kept people well-updated with their romance on social media, and the former lawyer, despite earning an army of supporters for his sarcastic sense of humour, is no stranger to sharing romantic poems about his boyfriend. Sadly they became the latest victim of the Big Brother curse on Tuesday as they revealed they had split after 17 months together. The pair announced the 'incredibly sad' news that they'd decided to go their separate ways. Henry confirmed the split on Instagram Stories, writing: 'After a lot of thought, Jordan and I have decided to go our separate ways. 'It's incredibly sad, and we're both hurting, but we know it's the right step. 'We're so grateful for the love and support you've shown us - thank you. Please give us some space as we figure things out privately.' Jordan went on to share the break-up in his own post, writing: 'After many happy times, memories and precious experiences, Henry and I have parted ways.
