ITV Saturday Morning’s James Martin says he’s ‘worse’ after surgery as colleagues ‘scared’

James Martin has opened up about his recent surgery, admitting that his colleagues on ITV’s Saturday Morning are now “scared” of him as he can “see stuff a mile off”

Kathryn Ingate Deputy Editor of Trendswatch

12:24, 15 Nov 2025

James Martin says his surgery has left colleagues feeling “scared” of him(Image: Getty Images)

Celebrity chef James Martin has confessed that his improved vision post-surgery has left his colleagues at ITV’s Saturday Morning feeling a tad “scared” of him.

The 53-year-old television personality, who hosts the weekend show from his own kitchen with fellow chefs and celebrity guests, was questioned about his meticulous attention to detail in every aspect of his career.

While appearing on Good Housekeeping’s My Life In A Biscuit Tin podcast, host Liz Moseley noted that James is irreplaceable on his ITV series due to its close ties with his personal style, asking: “There’s obviously a real aesthetic to everything.

“You’re obsessed with the way you do your garden, your house, you’re very particular about it all. Are you a bit of a nightmare to be around?”

In response to the question, James chuckled before admitting that this defining trait has actually intensified recently, as his enhanced eyesight following surgery allows him to “see stuff a mile off”, reports Wales Online.

Discussing his health, he said: “Not really, I think I see everything… worse now because I’ve had my eyes done! So, you know you have laser surgery? I had full refractive lens surgery, so I had the lenses taken out and new ones put in.”

James Martin had surgery on his eyes

Revealing the outcome of the procedure, James exclaimed: “Oh my God, I can see round corners now, it’s scary! People are now scared at work because I can see stuff a mile off. I can see veins on a tree, I can now read without glasses, it’s amazing.”

According to Nuffield Health’s website, in refractive or clear lens surgery, also known as ‘lens replacement surgery’, a consultant ophthalmic surgeon replaces the eye’s natural lens with an artificial clinical lens.

The new lens will have a specific power or prescription to help fix common focusing or ‘refractive’ conditions.

James says the surgery has left with ITV colleagues ‘scared’ of him(Image: Stuart C. Wilson via Getty Images)

Despite lauding the benefits of the surgery, James stressed that his meticulous attention to detail was also ignited by his career as a professional chef, stating: “But the attention to detail to me comes from the fact that you work in an industry where detail is everything.

“So can I stop that attention to detail in terms of the industry, always wanting to be better every single day, and can I, when I go up into TV production, do the same?

“I think you can still have that attention to detail, because it still matters to people watching.”

James Martin(Image: ITV)

James then elaborated on how his skills from working in kitchens translate into the world of TV, revealing that he and the Saturday Morning team hold regular meetings to discuss potential improvements for the show.

The star shared: “We all have a meeting afterwards at the end of the day – what worked, what didn’t work, what could be better, what couldn’t be better, and we all have a meeting in the morning [to discuss] what’s coming up.

“And that is what we do in the restaurant business, it’s a chef’s thing.”