What happened to James Martin? Famous celebrity chef replaced by farmer Jimmy Doherty for ITV's new cooking show

Former Saturday Kitchen star, Chef James Martin stepped aside from his television commitments after his cancer diagnosis. ITV has now signed up farmer and food entrepreneur Jimmy Doherty to replace Martin and take the reins for a new show, as per WalesOnline. The 48-year-old will reportedly present a new five-episode series titled Jimmy's Taste of Florida.

This comes after James Martin revealed his diagnosis last year. In 2023, he publicly spoke about having facial cancer and mentioned that he was diagnosed with the same in 2017, as per Mirror. On November 6, 2023, during one of his live shows in Liverpool, the celebrity chef told the audience that he would be taking a break from television.

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James Martin's cancer diagnosis uncovered

James Martin, born in 1972, is a British chef and television presenter. He is best known for presenting the BBC cookery series Saturday Kitchen. He has worked with BBC and ITV for more than 30 years.

Martin was diagnosed with skin cancer in 2017 and reportedly underwent surgery in 2018, as per Metro. Speaking about his skin cancer diagnosis on Twitter in July 2023, he said he could not get the surgery done until two days before Christmas, as he had to finish filming for his show.

"I was then diagnosed with cancer on my face, and I had to have surgery, which I couldn't do until two days before Christmas when we had finished filming. Since then it has returned on several occasions and I have to have regular treatments." he said.

This came after he issued an apology when an incident from 2018 came to light. He was accused of alleged bullying and intimidating behavior while filming an ITV show, as per Metro. According to The Sun, James Martin stated that the year before the event in question was the "most fraught and difficult periods" of his life as his last living grandparent had died, he was diagnosed with cancer, and his home had been robbed.

He then stated that he was "extremely upset" when he learned in 2018 that his home had gotten flooded while filming.

"I can only say I am human and following a build-up of personal life pressure, I admit that I overreacted regarding the damage to my home," he said, as per Metro.

In November 2023, during a show in Liverpool, James Martin revealed that he would be taking a break as he needed to undergo cancer treatment. He promised that he would be "back fighting" at the end of February and as per Metro, he said:

"For me personally, I’ve been through a lot of s**t with cancer but I’m getting sorted at the end of next month. I will be back fighting at the end of February but I’m going on a little bit of a break to get that sorted. I just wanted to say thank you for all your support and all your messages."

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ITV has now signed up Jimmy Doherty amid James Martin's cancer treatment. The well-known farmer will soon be seen on a new show titled Jimmy's Taste of Florida, which will see him travel across Miami, Universal Orlando, Anna Maria Island, and more locations, as per WalesOnline. The new show is set to air on February 12, 2024 on ITV.