Tom Kerridge shares rare insight into marriage as he opens up on 'difficult' experience

Edinburgh Live

4 days ago

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Celebrity chef Tom Kerridge has opened up about his life with wife Beth Cullen-Kerridge, reflecting on "never giving up".
The couple first crossed paths in 1997 when Beth cheekily asked Tom for money to pay for a stripper at a friend's birthday bash in London.
Despite the rather unusual first encounter between the pair, it wasn't long before their romance started to blossom, with Beth proposing just months after they first met.
Since launching the Hand and Flowers pub in 2005, Tom and Beth's careers have moved apart, but they faced the challenges of running their first venture together head-on.
Tom recently revealed on the Go-To Food podcast how their determination played a crucial role in the success of their Michelin-starred establishment: "We've got to this point over 20 years and I think it's about relentlessness, never giving up."
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He added: "I mean she's as strongminded as me with that relentless drive of just doing stuff and doing things that we want to do and moving forward."
Tom reflected on the challenges of running The Hand and Flowers, which is commemorating its 20th year, especially in the early days of living and working together with his partner: "I think at first it's very difficult, you live in one small room and you run a business together."
"Yeah, those pressures tell, it's like living with a flatmate or something like that in a confined space."
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He also commented on how overcoming such obstacles has bolstered their relationship: "There's no escape or kind of release, but as you work through it, you come to realise that it actually makes you much stronger as opposed to a weakness."
Commenting on his journey since establishing the Hand and Flowers with his wife in 2005, Tom expressed gratitude for their partnership in business: "There's not many people that with their partner, have been able to go on and do stuff and grow together."
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Not only has the Hand and Flowers secured two Michelin stars under his leadership, but Tom has expanded his influence by opening additional establishments including The Coach and The Butcher's Tap in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, along with four more venues in Manchester and London.
Tom married Beth three years after they first met, and together they welcomed their child, Acey, in 2015, marking a personal milestone alongside his professional accomplishments.