Celebrity chef James Martin has left fans stunned after revealing his car window was smashed in broad daylight by a vandal in central London.
The ITV star shared a photo on Instagram of the gaping hole left in the rear windshield of his vehicle, though he didn’t specify what, if anything, was stolen from the boot.
James wrote: “So in a week two of my friends’ cars got stolen, one other mate got mugged and now I had this happen all in broad daylight all in central London. London is broken big time…”
Referring to his dog, he added: “Next time I’m bringing the Mali’s.”
Fans flooded the post with messages of support.
One commented: “So sorry this has happened to you. The whole of the UK is the same, the laws need to change and we need more police on the streets.”
Another wrote: “This is so sad, what once was an incredible capital city is now a centre for crime.”
A third added: “Not right is it, but what’s worse is nobody in authority cares.”
Criticising those in power, a fourth person commented: “London needs a new mayor,” while another added: “Thank the double act Starmer & Khan.”
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The shocking incident comes as James recently revealed plans to sell several of his prized race cars, admitting he “struggles to get out of them” as he gets older.
Speaking on the Good Food podcast, he said: “The car collection sort of changes as you get older. You can’t get in the cars that I bought 20 years ago and I can’t get out of them.
“So I’ve sold quite a few of the race cars and I’ve gone into sort of old school cars. So stuff that I can get into and get out of.”
The 52-year-old previously explained that car racing is for the thin: “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, whose car collection is reportedly worth around £5 million, owns some rare and historic vehicles.
These include one of Colin McRae’s classic Subaru Impreza rally cars and a Mini Cooper previously driven by British rally legends Paddy Hopkirk and Rauno Aaltonen.
Alongside his car passion, James is best known for his hit ITV series James Martin’s Saturday Morning and previous shows including Saturday Kitchen, Home Comforts, Islands to Highlands, and James Martin’s French Adventure.
He has also authored over 20 best-selling cookbooks.