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Renowned TV chef James Martin has said that he was left in tears following a heartbreaking realisation while making a documentary for the BBC about loneliness.

James, 53, was appearing on the Routes Podcast with Jenni Falconer as the pair talked about train etiquette, at which point James suggested that sometimes it was good to talk to people. He then told a moving story.

He said: "Also just chat to people, just say hi to them, you never know. I did a whole show on the BBC once, it was an eye opener for me.

"The whole thing was on loneliness and I found this quite fascinating." James went on to say how they interviewed someone who tried to kill himself twice.

James added: "And you think 'How can you think about that with this?' And then we chatted to another lady, elderly lady that nobody had been in her house for 25 years.

"And the whole world was going by and we just sat there in her living room, elderly lady, I just burst into tears....Just make time for people every now and then."

This isn't the first time James has talked about being in tears during one of his programmes with the Saturday Morning host also talking about how he broke down in tears when he saw his father in the front row of one of his live shows.

Speaking to Candis Magazine about the incident last year, he remembered how his father Ian was hosted at the Ritz and how he was amazed to see his son's name up in lights at the Palladium.

James also recalled how, as the show started, he looked down and saw his father looking up at him, nearly causing him to cry.

He recalled: "I got him a night at the Ritz - I think he was worried he'd have to pick up the bill! - and I took him backstage at the Palladium. He couldn't believe his son's name was in lights outside the theatre.

"When I stepped on stage that evening and stood on the cross below which Bruch Forsyth's ashes are buried, I looked into the audience and the first face I saw was my dad's. I held it all together throughout the show but I welled up at the end. I completely lost it. The farmer's kid had made it."

In the past, as well as talking about his father, James has talked about his grandmother and his hopes that he could be even tenth of the person she was.

He told the Road to Success with Benedict Fowler podcast: "It sounds daft talking about your granny, but if I could be 10% of what my granny is, I'd be 110% a better person (than I am now).

"My granny, it sounds daft, but my granny was the same (as Queen Elizabeth), because she'd walk into a room and I don't know if it was how I was brought up, but you were told respect and you shut up and listen. And I valued that so much."

James Martin's Saturday Morning airs today from 9.30am to 12pm on ITV.

For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.