Lisa Faulkner Opens Up About Taking a “Leap of Faith” in Relationship with Husband John Torode

Actress Lisa Faulkner has shared that her relationship with TV chef John Torode required a “big leap of faith.” The Madam Blanc star, 52, has been married to the MasterChef host, 58, since 2019, but their journey to happiness wasn’t without its challenges.

The couple first met on the set of Celebrity MasterChef in 2010, at a time when both were in other marriages. Lisa was then married to EastEnders actor Chris Coghill, with whom she shares an adopted daughter, Billie. Meanwhile, John was married to Jessica Torode, though they separated in 2011 and officially divorced in 2014.

After both became single, Lisa and John began dating, but Lisa admits it wasn’t an easy start. Reflecting on their first date, she shared, “We had time to talk and really get to know each other, and we got on brilliantly. We took things really slowly because of Billie, and also because I’d been through the end of a marriage. We had a child, and I felt I’d failed in something I never wanted to fail at.”

She continued, “I never give up on anything, so when you do have to accept that something didn’t work, starting a new relationship is a big leap of faith,” Lisa told Good Housekeeping. John, who has four children from previous relationships, revealed in a previous interview with the Mail Online that he had written a heartfelt letter to Lisa, expressing his feelings. “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,” he admitted.

Their relationship blossomed, and John surprised Lisa with a festive proposal, presenting her with a diamond ring. They exchanged vows at the stunning 17th-century Aynhoe Park estate in Northamptonshire in 2019.

Reflecting on their early days, Lisa recalled meeting John on MasterChef: “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. All I could think was, ‘That sauce hasn’t worked’. I didn’t see anything but food for three months.”

Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2013, Lisa revealed that everything changed after John wrote her the letter and asked her out to dinner. “John and I were friends. Neither of us thought of it as anything else until… I don’t know how things change, but something does.”

John also shared the secret to their happy marriage, confessing, “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.”