TV chef and star of ITV’s Saturday Morning James Martin has made a career out of cooking and sampling delicious food. Having spent many years showcasing some of the very best recipes with UK audiences, the 51-year-old has struggled with his weight due to the nature of his job. The foodie from Malton in Yorkshire is known for his sumptuous desserts and for using butter as a key ingredient in his dishes. Having reached 19st 17lbs at his heaviest, he found that swapping out one of his favourite indulgences helped him to shed pounds without dieting or hitting the gym. James shared that the "secret" to losing weight was "cutting down on soft drinks". The TV chef showed off his slim physique at the Bolton Food and Drink Festival in August last year. Despite having been being trolled online for his weight gain, the 51-year-old explained that he only re-evaluated his diet after several friends got ill and passed away during the pandemic. According to the Manchester Evening News, James told the crowd: "I think when Covid hit, everyone started to re-evaluate their lives and what can you do better, and I think it was just a different focus on life. “I lost three stone, and for me the main thing was cutting out fizzy drinks and I now drink 2.5 litres of water every day. “When you get to 50, when you get the phone call and hear some of your mates are not very well, or that some of your mates have passed away, you just have a different outlook on life. You still have the same drive, but how you achieve that, you do things slightly differently." He explained how he had become so reliant on fizzy drinks, saying: "I don't really drink much alcohol, only about three or four units a month anyway, so I'm not much of a drinker - it was cutting out the fizzy drinks was the main thing for me. “I think the problem when you're travelling from A to B all the time, you need that sugar hit, I don't drink tea or coffee, so fizzy drinks was the way I got it." The TV favourite had also previously told Hello! Magazine that he drinks "two litres of water a day" while still eating the same diet. He continued: "Water keeps your brain healthy and it keeps your skin healthy and it keeps you focused – it's crazy when you give up soft drinks how much more your brain feels alive, it's very weird." James Martin has revealed the two ingredients which helped him shed the pounds. The celebrity chef said he has stuck to two simple foods to keep the weight off. Speaking on the Spooning with Mark Wogan podcast, he told how he wanted to lose weight so he could continue to enjoy his car racing hobby. He said: "It comes down to the fact that I race cars, or I still try and race a few cars and I actually struggle to get out of them now. "Getting in them, you kind of fall in them, but then you've got to get out of them and it just doesn't look very good." The James Martin's Saturday Morning presenter said there were certain foods he now stayed away from. He said: "I've decided I maybe need to stay clear away from these (picks up a Twix bar) and stuff like that and maybe eat fish, and it's worked." The chef admitted fish made up 80 per cent of his new diet. James also said he obsesses over butter - the other ingredient he insisted had been vital to his weight loss. He has recently released a new cookery book detailing his love of the dairy product called 'Butter: Comforting, Delicious, Versatile - Over 130 Recipes Celebrating Butter'. The chef said: "When everyone brought a book out about healthy food about five years ago, I brought out a book on butter." James said his love of butter can be traced back to his childhood. He added: "I'm a farmer's kid, I like pure food, I like simple food and love great ingredients. I like simple cooking, but also bringing out the flavour of the ingredients is more important than anything else." Last year, James revealed he had gone through cancer in recent years. He announced he had been diagnosed with facial cancer in 2018. Despite the weight loss, James said he has not been tempted to go to the gym. He said: "I don't go to the gym, (his weight loss) it comes down to the fact that I can get my a*** in and out of a car." James Martin showcased his impressive weight loss while out for a sunny stroll in London with his girlfriend, personal trainer Kim Johnson.  The TV chef looked noticeably slimmer after crediting a "simple" but effective diet, which helped him shed three stone.  His secret? Eating fish twice a day and staying well-hydrated with plenty of water.  Despite maintaining a low profile following his split from longtime partner Louise Davies, James has been spotted enjoying several dates with Kim.  The couple, who were previously seen looking smitten on a stroll in April, looked as loved-up as ever on their latest outing. James Martin and his new girlfriend weren’t shy about showing their affection as they packed on the PDA during their stroll in London.  The couple wrapped their arms around each other, seemingly unconcerned about onlookers.  Their romance first came to light in April when they were spotted browsing jewelry at Tiffany's on Old Bond Street, sparking rumors of their relationship. He split from his long-term partner Louise Davies in December after 12 years together.  Kim was previously married to Elizabeth Hurley's ex-husband Arun Nayar, whom she wed in 2016 before they divorced the following year.  James Martin has been a regular feature on our TV screens for years, thanks to his popular ITV show James Martin's Saturday Morning.  The chef, who famously has a passion for cooking with plenty of butter, recently revealed how he has managed to stay trim after losing a staggering three stone in weight. James confirmed that his new healthy outlook is partly down to his love of car racing, and that he couldn't enjoy driving in the same way before he lost weight. He said: "It comes down to the fact that I race cars, or I still try and race a few cars and I actually struggle to get out of them now. Getting in them, you kind of fall in them, but then you've got to get out of them and it just doesn't look very good." Speaking on the Spooning with Mark Wogan podcast, he claimed that there are two simple foods he turns to in order to keep in shape: "I've decided that I maybe need to stay clear away from these (picks up a Twix bar) and stuff like that - and maybe eat fish - and it's worked." James went further, adding that his diet now consists of 80 per cent fish, which he cooks in butter. The presenter then explained how his love of the spread inspired him to write one of his most recent cook books, 'Butter: Comforting, Delicious, Versatile - Over 130 Recipes Celebrating Butter'. He said: "When everyone brought a book out about healthy food about five years ago, I brought out a book on butter." James believes that his love of the dairy product stems back to his childhood: "I'm a farmers kid, I like pure food, I like simple food and just love great ingredients. "I like simple cooking, but also bringing out the flavour of the ingredients is more important than anything else." But, his shocking weight loss comes against the backdrop of a recent health scare. Last year, James opened up to his followers confirming that he had been undergoing consistent treatment for facial cancer since 2018. Despite changing his diet in a bid to lose weight, he insists that he doesn't do regular exercise, adding: "I don't go to the gym, (his weight loss) it comes down to the fact that I can get my a**e in and out of a car." Having trained as a chef in France, and working in restaurants across the UK, James began his TV career when he appeared on James Martin: Yorkshire's Finest. Since then, his career has gone from strength to strength, with a number of cookery books and TV shows under his belt. TV CHEF James Martin has revealed the ‘simple’ secret to his weight loss. The 52-year-old has recently lost an impressive three stone. James, who currently presents Saturday Morning with James Martin, has confessed that it's down to cooking one dish in particular. James recently The Birmingham Live: "Losing weight is a balance of everything. "It's getting off your arse and doing more and not eating less, but eating a variety of different things. "Water is the key. "As you get older, I realised I don't need to go to the gym, I'm working all the time anyway. "Water keeps your brain healthy and it keeps your skin healthy and it keeps you focused it's crazy when you give up soft drinks how much more your brain feels alive, it's very weird." He then confessed what ingredient he has been cooking to keep the weight off. James added: "What could be simpler than pan-frying a little bit of salmon and serving it with some great new potatoes and seasonal veg?" The telly favourite also revealed another factor behind why he wanted to shift some weight. Mark confessed on the Spooning with Mark Wogan podcast: "It comes down to the fact that I race cars, or I still try and race a few cars and I actually struggle to get out of them now. "Getting in them, you kind of fall in them, but then you've got to get out of them and it just doesn't look very good." James has ditched the chocolate bars and his diet is now '80 per cent made up of fish'. It comes after James was forced to halt his ITV show last month. The star reassured viewers after a ‘shotgun-like’ played out on his Saturday morning programme. Fearing fans would be concerned that the noises were "shotgun" like, James quickly clarified that was not the case. He said: "That is not a shotgun going by the way, we have got a crow scarer. "The farmer has just planted some plants out there, we are going to get a lot of this during the day really. "It's to stop the pigeons going and wrecking his plants as well." Days before he issued a warning and snapped at a guest during awkward return of Saturday Morning. James enjoyed a trip to France with his girlfriend over the summer.