Lisa Faulkner faced tragedy early on in life after losing her mum to cancer at the age of 16.
She has since made quite the name for herself after winning MasterChef and appearing in BBC’s EastEnders and Holby City.
The actress, who turns 50 on February 16, even turned down a major soap role to pursue her cooking career which was clearly the right decision as she now has her own cooking show with her famous husband.
Lisa married MasterChef judge John Torode, 56, in 2019 and between them they share five children.
This month Lisa will be celebrating a milestone birthday, she will be turning 50, the Daily Star takes a look into her incredible career.
Marriage
(Image: Mike Marsland/WireImage)
Lisa said “I do” to MasterChef judge John Torode in 2019 after meeting nine years early following the hit cooking show.
The pair got married in an intimate ceremony in Aynhoe Park, a luxurious manor house in Banbury, Oxfordshire.
The actress wore a stunning ivory gown complete with a sweetheart neckline and sheer lace detailing across her chest.
Her blonde locks were worn half-up, half-down, and she kept her makeup simple, allowing her natural beauty to shine through.
(Image: James Fear Photography)
Between the couple they share five children – Lisa’s adopted daughter Billie 15, whom she shares with ex-husband and co-star Chris Coghill and John’s grown up sons Casper, Marselle and teenagers from another relationship Jonah, 17 and Lulu, 15.
Lisa has previously revealed that John’s children call her “the feeder” and a “pushover”.
She said: “Anything they want gets made because John and I both love cooking. And if we don’t know how to make it, we’ll find out. But John knows pretty much everything anyway.
“The kids don’t know how lucky they are when it comes to food. My step-kids call me ‘the feeder’ and ‘pushover Lisa’.”
Career
(Image: ITV)
Lisa wowed the judges – including her future husband John – in 2010 when she won Celebrity MasterChef.
However she started her career after she was scouted by a modelling agency which lead her into acting in TV in the 1990’s.
The actress later starred in Holby City as Victoria Merrick between 1999-2001 however, her much-loved character was killed of the hit show when she was stabbed to death in her own home.
In 2017, Lisa played the stylish businesswoman Fi Browning in EastEnders who aided Max Branning in a revenge scheme against the people of Walford.
(Image: BBC / Jack Barnes)
After winning Celebrity MasterChef, Lisa turned her focus to TV hosting duties specifically cooking programmes including What’s Cooking? on Channel 4.
However, before appearing on the hit BBC show Lisa was offered her dream acting role.
She reveal that she was tempted by a soap role in Emmerdale but decided to follow her gut and pursue her cookery career.
She said: “Just before the show aired, I was offered a role on TV soap Emmerdale.
(Image: Instagram)
“It was such a lovely role, and I was tempted, but something in me was saying, ‘No, you want to cook’, it was sort of gut feeling.
“I was working in restaurants at the time, trying to get as much experience as possible. I decided to take the plunge and turn down the acting job to focus on cooking. I had no idea it would become my career, but I am so glad I took the risk.”
Now the celebrity chef and her MasterChef husband co-host their own ITV show John and Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen.
Tragic death
Lisa tragically lost her mum Julie when she was just 16-years-old.
The stars mum died from throat cancer at the age of 44.
She told Metro: “I was 16 when my mum died of cancer and my sister Victoria was 14.
“The cancer had started as something that looked like an ulcer under my mum’s tongue.”
She explained how tough it was to “lose a parent” when you’re a teenager.
(Image: bbc)
Lisa added: “She’d been ill for a year and a half. We knew she was ill but we didn’t realise how serious it was. We were quite sheltered from it so when she died it was a real shock.”
Last year the actress marked what would have been her mother’s 76th birthday.
She wrote: “Happy Birthday to my beautiful Mummy who would be 76 today and I imagine cross at the fact I told people her age. I love you.”
Modelling
(Image: Instagram)
Before Lisa’s mums death she was scouted by a modelling agent while waiting for the tube in London.
The blonde beauty explained in the past how “lucky” she was to gain a modelling contract as it forced her to “sort myself out quickly.”
She explained: “That probably saved me. I was approached about becoming a model at a Tube station when I was on my way to see my mum at the Royal Marsden Hospital, so she knew there was a possibility of me doing it before she died.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
