Lisa Faulkner has addressed what it’s like to be the “third” person in her marriage to John Torode, as his bromance with Gregg Wallace continues to blossom.
Reflecting on the MasterChef hosts’ long-standing friendship, Lisa, 52, believes the “telepathic” pair share same thoughts and mannerisms due to their 20-plus years of working together.
Recalling a moment she noticed on the BBC cooking show, she shared: “When someone messes up a sauce, the way they look at each other!
“And if a contestant is slow getting their plates out, they both twitch in exactly the same way. I honestly think they are one of the great TV couples.
“They look at each other and their thoughts are synchronised. I’m not even sure we have that. Hopefully we have something else.” Reassuring his wife, John, 59, said what he has with Lisa is “a totally different relationship” adding: “For a start, I fancy you more.”
In their latest interview with The Times, the chef reflected upon just how much Gregg was previously involved with his life away from the cameras, which included 6am calls to discuss his to-do list.
John says since revealing in an interview that he was unhappy with his co-star’s early wake-up calls, his co-star had thankfully taken a back seat.
The chef and his actress wife Lisa, who tied the knot in 2019, front their own ITV cooking show, John & Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen.
Sharing a kitchen with different ideas on dishes has inevitably caused the pair to bicker at times, but this hasn’t got in the way of their working relationship.
Expressing what annoys him the most about Lisa’s cooking ways, John shared: “My thing with Lisa is I make a huge pan of her favourite seafood curry for date night and two days later she won’t touch it because she’s anxious about the seafood being off.”
For Lisa, it’s her husband’s singing of the same old songs that grinds her gears.
“I can’t bear it when John sings along to Supertramp. That’s where our seven-year age gap really shows,” she shared.
“Give a Little Bit by Supertramp and Mr Blue Sky by ELO – I just can’t do it, I’m sorry.”
John also revealed that Lisa had branded him “the Simon Cowell of the kitchen”, but he insists this isn’t the case.
With their respective expertise, the pair have now come together for their new book titled, John and Lisa’s Kitchen: Everyday Recipes from a Professional Chef and a Home Cook.
Describing the book, Lisa said: “John brings the discipline and science; I bring the home-cook passion. Then it’s a battle to get them in.”
The couple will also be returning to screens later this year for the ninth series of their cooking show.
Celebrity MasterChef continues tonight at 9:05pm on BBC One.
