"We still leave the house going, 'Bye-bye wife' and, 'Bye-bye husband!'"
Newlyweds Lisa Faulkner and John Torode have revealed their joy at spending their first Christmas together as a married couple.
"Although we’ve been together years, it definitely feels different now we’re married," says Lisa, 47, who tied the knot with John at a star-studded two-day wedding celebration at Aynhoe Park in Oxfordshire in October.
"It’s such a lovely feeling – we still leave the house going, “Bye-bye wife” and, “Bye-bye husband!”. I’m really forward to being married at Christmas, especially as that’s when we’ll get our wedding video back so we’ve told all our family we’ll be watching it Christmas Day.
"Now I’m wondering if they’ll want to…oh well, John and I are excited about seeing it!"
MasterChef judge John, 54, who’s also a regular guest chef on This Morning, popped the question on December 25th last year.
"I’m feeling rather clever about that," says John, who met Lisa when she competed in Celebrity MasterChef in 2010, a contest she went on to win. The pair started dating two years later.
"Lisa had never looked at rings but she saw one in a jeweller’s in October last year and really liked it so I secretly went back for it and seized the opportunity on Christmas Day."
John's "clever" Christmas Day proposal to Lisa Faulkner!
"Asking me to marry him on Christmas Day is going to make every Christmas extra special from now on," says Lisa, who alongside John is gearing up for some festive-themed specials on their Sunday morning cookery show, John and Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen.
‘Twelve months ago I’d never have imagined we’d be where we are today," says Lisa. "We’ve packed so much in – it’s crazy.
"First John proposed and we set a date of October – which felt months away – now we’ve done it and we’re nearly at Christmas and we’ve been given our own cookery show and done three series in between that. It’s bonkers!"
"The difference for me this year, is that I’ll wake up next to my wife on Christmas Day," says John, who admits he’s thrilled with the success of their ITV1 cookery show.
"Our aim with the show was to make food that people can really cook…food that doesn’t need fancy ingredients but is really accessible and fun to make. And to be asked to do Christmas TV special episodes is a really big deal. We want to give tips and tricks to help viewers feel more relaxed about cooking at Christmas."
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So what are their festive plans for their first Christmas together as husband and wife?
"We’ll be at home, surrounded by our wonderful family," says Lisa. "My sister’s coming over with my nieces and nephew and brother-in-law, so we’ve got a houseful. The more the merrier is our motto.
"John and I will happily be in the kitchen cooking turkey, all the trimmings – cooked vegan-style for those who don’t eat meat – and John will make his beef Wellington which I love. I can’t wait."
John and Lisa's Weekend Kitchen, Sunday, ITV, 10.30am
Main picture of Lisa Faulkner and John Torode: Matt Frost/ ITV.
(Written by Rebecca Fletcher)
