Inside Loyd Grossman’s eventful life so far – from failed pop career to MasterChef host | Celebrity News | Showbiz & TV

Television personality and culinary expert Loyd Grossman has experienced quite an eventful life. The 73-year-old is probably best known for his £50million pasta fortune, but how did he achieve his success?

Grossman was born in Boston, USA and is the son of Jewish antiques dealer David and mother Helen.

He holds dual US and British citizenship, having moved to the UK in 1975 to study at the London School of Economics. There he took a master’s degree in economic history, reports Yorkshire Live.

Grossman moved into journalism and established a reputation as a respected restaurant critic for publications such as GQ and The Sunday Times.

His television career began in 1983 and he is perhaps best known as the original host of Through The Keyhole. This program became a primetime staple in 1987 and remained one of ITV’s most popular programs with Grossman at the helm until 2003.

During the 1990s he hosted Masterchef and took part in various other programmes, including Loyd on Location, The History of British Sculpture and Behind the Headlines.

A lesser known fact about Grossman is his musical talent; he was the guitarist for the punk band Jet Bronx And The Forbidden.

Their track ‘Ain’t Doin’ Nothing’; reached number 47 in the UK Singles Chart and after the band’s split he established The New Forbidden with Valentine Guinness. This group has graced the Glastonbury stage eight times.

In addition to his music career, Loyd Grossman is also known for his successful line of sauces. Launched in 1995, the brand has become the most popular British celebrity sauce range, stocked in thousands of supermarkets nationwide.

In 2011, he was reported to be “devastated” after two children from the same family were treated for botulism poisoning after consuming one of his sauces.

Their illness was linked to the Grossman korma sauce, which was made by Premier Foods at its factory in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

At that time, Peter Schnabl, Mr. Grossman’s agent: “We just can’t explain how this could have happened because there are safeguards in the manufacturing process, plus the botulism should have been killed by the acidity of the sauce itself.

“It should have been killed in the cooking process so we can’t really explain it at the moment. People are looking into it. The FSA in Scotland is looking into it in conjunction with Premier (Foods, the manufacturer).”

In his personal life, Loyd married Deborah Puttnam, daughter of film producer David Puttnam, in 1985. The couple have two daughters, but ended their marriage in 2004.

He recently got back together this year with Melissa Knatchbull after seven years of dating. The newlyweds were reportedly married at Chelsea Register Office.

Outside of his professional pursuits, Loyd is reportedly an avid diver and longtime patron of the Shark Trust, a charity dedicated to protecting the future of sharks.

He was recently knighted in the New Years Honors list and was said to be “absolutely thrilled” and “so close to speechless” at the accolade.