James Martin delighted fans over the weekend when he shared a rare childhood photo on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The celebrity chef, a known car enthusiast, has had a difficult period in recent weeks, but he appeared to have perked up when he asked his loyal followers which classic car he was posing next to in the throwback image.
The 51-year-old looked barely recognisable as a toddler, wearing a striped knitted cardigan and checked trousers. "Throwback pic…name the car!" he wrote, which prompted a flurry of messages. One fan said: "Oh what a lovely pic, its definitely a Triumph...we had the Herald which we called chitty chitty Bang Bang! Happy memories."
"Dunno, but there's a good-looking lad in front of it," another commented, while a third follower joked: "The wee lad looks like he's plotting some mischief..." A fourth post read: "Never mind the car. Look at those checked trousers."
It's been a difficult period for James, who recently made headlines after he was accused of bullying television staff. Last month, the TV presenter was suspected of "intimidating behaviour".
Deadline reported that ITV received a complaint in May about his conduct towards production staff and crew on set. It came five years after an initial complaint was made regarding an incident that occurred on set of his Saturday Morning series in 2018.
In a statement, James apologised as he addressed the crew, but also told of his cancer diagnosis for the first time. "Firstly, I would like to apologise publicly and sincerely to the crew involved in this incident, as I did at the time," he wrote.
"I have always strived to keep my private life private. However since details of a conversation, which was secretly recorded in January 2018, are now five years later being made public by a former member of our production team, I have decided to make a statement."
© ShutterstockThe former Ready Steady Cook favourite revealed that the end of 2017 was "one of the most fraught and difficult periods of my life," where he dealt with the death of his grandfather and a burglary at his home, with whom he shares with his long-term partner Louise Davies.
He added: "Later that month I was burgled at night by a team of masked men, who entered my house while my partner Louise was at home alone and I was away working. I was devastated that she had to go through that alone."
Sharing his cancer diagnosis, James continued: "On top of this 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.
"After all this stress I was in a very emotional state, and when after filming in early January 2018 I discovered my home had been flooded while filming, I was extremely upset. 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."
