Celebrity chef said he knew things were doomed in his relationship when partner tried to buy him a $226K supercar

Celebrity chef James Martin said he knew his relationship with James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli wasn’t going to last after she tried to buy him a $226,000 Aston Martin.

While many car lovers would be over the moon with such a gift, Martin said he knew it was the beginning of the end for him and his now former partner.

Martin met the producer when he was 29 and she was 41.

Broccoli ‘won’ him at a charity auction in 2001, paying a whopping £18,000 ($22,630) to have him cook a meal and was so impressed by his cooking skills, she paid for him to cook for her again.

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James Martin said his former partner tried to buy him an Aston Martin

In his 2009 memoir Driven, Martin said the pair ‘just clicked’ and began a relationship shortly after. 

During their time together, which Martin has referred to as the ‘most surreal, exciting and unforgettable’ time of his life, Broccoli would often splash out on lavish gifts, including a genuine Picasso painting and jewelry from Tiffany. 

However, it was this gift giving that led to their break-up, with Martin realizing their lives were very different. 

The moment of realization hit, when Broccoli told Martin she wanted to buy him a $226,000 Aston Martin.

Of course, James Bond has a long-standing love of Aston Martins – so much so the luxury marque even released this Aston Martin DB5 Goldfinger Edition.

So, it’s not a huge surprise that when it came to choosing a car for her then-partner, Bond producer Barbara Broccoli opted for an Aston Martin DBS. 

The generous gesture didn’t win the celebrity chef over

But the generous gesture was too much for celebrity chef Martin who thought it was a sign of an ‘imbalance’ in their relationship that would be hard for him to look past. 

“It wasn’t as if it was my birthday or Christmas – it was just a spur of the moment thought,” he wrote in an article for the Daily Mail.

“It was a defining moment in our relationship. Deep down, I knew there was always going to be an imbalance.”

Afterwards, Martin admitted that ending things with the Hollywood producer could well have been ‘the daftest thing I have done in my life’.

Since his split, Martin has amassed a pretty awesome car collection worth around $6,286,500 that includes a 1965 Ferrari 275, a Ford GT40, a Shelby GT500, and a BMW 760Li – although he hasn’t treated himself to an Aston Martin.