John Torode's life with rarely-seen first wife Jessica in £1.2million mansion

John Torode has become one of TV's most recognisable chefs (especially lately) but behind the scenes, the former BBC MasterChef star once lived a surprisingly low-key life with his rarely-seen first wife Jessica.

The 59-year-old presenter has been thrust into headlines recently when it was confirmed he had been sacked as a MasterChef presenter following an allegation against him using "an extremely offensive racist term" was affirmed. It was the same investigation that led to his co-star Gregg Wallace's exit from the BBC, after multiple claims he had used inappropriate sexual language were also upheld.

Away from the public fallout, Torode's personal life has also been eventful, with the straight-talking Aussie chef getting married twice. Fans probably best know him as being married to actress-turned-cook Lisa Faulkner, who won celebrity MasterChef in 2010, however, his previous wife has prefered to stay out of the spotlight.

Prior to hooking up with Lisa, John was married to Jessica Thomas, the mother of two of his children. The couple tied the knot in 2000 after moving in together the year before, settling into a five-bedroom mansion in leafy Streatham, south-west London.

Worth an estimated £1.2million, the property was the backdrop to a quieter chapter of John's life, far from the flashing cameras and competitive kitchens.

Together, John and Jessica welcomed two children, Jonah and Lulu. Despite his growing TV profile, the chef always made it clear that home life was his grounding force. Speaking at the time, he described Jessica as someone who wasn't afraid to keep him in check: "She makes sure my feet are firmly on the ground. And every so often she will say, 'You were being a t**t, Torode.'"

His proposal to Jessica was just as theatrical as any of his famous dishes. Lining their hallway with candles, he hid a sapphire and diamond ring inside a diary - complete with a pencilled-in wedding date. They married in 2007, and from the outside, it looked like happily ever after.

But after more than a decade together, the pair quietly separated over Christmas in 2011. Friends described the split as "very sad," especially with young children involved. Torode reportedly moved out of their shared home, though the couple maintained a dignified silence, asking for privacy as they navigated the end of their marriage. Their divorce was finalised in 2014.

John also shares two older sons, Marselle and Casper, from a previous relationship, though like Jessica, his former partner Angela prefers to stay out of the spotlight.

By the time his relationship with Celebrity MasterChef winner Lisa Faulkner began to blossom, both she and John had come through their own share of heartbreak. Lisa had split from her actor husband Chris Coghill the same year Torode's marriage ended.

The couple insist their bond began as nothing more than friendship, forged through food and shared experiences. "He was a judge on a show I loved and I was petrified of him," Lisa once recalled. "We always got on, but I never thought about me and him."

It wasn't until John sent her a handwritten letter asking her out to dinner that things changed. "Cowardly? S***, yeah," he later said. "I'm as cowardly as they get."

John and Lisa married in 2019 and have since become one of TV's favourite foodie couples, though fans were surprised to learn that Wallace, now estranged from both, attended their star-studded wedding.