Saturday Kitchen star Matt Tebbutt has become a familiar face to millions of viewers tuning in to the BBC every weekend. Known for his easy charm, quick wit and impressive culinary skills, he has firmly established himself as one of the nation’s most popular TV chefs.
Behind the smiles and banter, however, Matt has endured a series of health ordeals that have tested his resilience and forced him to rethink his approach to wellbeing.
The 51-year-old chef first rose to prominence through his work in professional kitchens before becoming a regular fixture on food television. Since taking over as host of Saturday Kitchen in 2016, he has interviewed countless celebrity guests, overseen inventive cook-alongs, and become a trusted figure in households across the UK.
But away from the cameras, his health challenges have been more dramatic than viewers might realise. From surgery to lifestyle changes, Matt has been forced to take stock of his health in recent years. Here, we look back at his medical ordeals, his reflections on ageing, and the diet changes that are now helping him stay on top of his game.
Appendix surgery
Matt Tebbutt’s hospital experiences began with an emergency appendectomy in 2022, but he tackled it with his signature humour. The 51-year-old chef, who resides in Monmouthshire, revealed that he had emergency surgery at The Grange Hospital in Cwmbran, Wales. Sharing a photo from his hospital bed, morphine drip visible, Matt expressed gratitude for the care he received.
He said: “Me, a morphine drip and an emergency appendectomy are keeping me from a much anticipated lunch at @manteca_london ….but everything and everyone here at The Grange hospital in Gwent have been fantastic. Couldn’t ask for more from such a brilliant health service. So grateful.”
Speaking on the Grilled by the Staff Canteen podcast, following the operation, Matt answered the question ”what surgery did Matt Tebbutt have’. He said: “That was not my enlargement. That was my appendix operation about a year ago.”
Fellow culinary star and ‘MasterChef’ peer Anna Haugh expressed amazement at Matt’s swift recovery: “It was really serious, genuinely you could die from that kind of thing and then you were back to work lickety-split, I mean you were barely in the hospital and I thought you were going to do a show from the hospital bed.”
She added: “You were so quick. I mean life-threatening surgery and you’re like ‘Hi guys, so today on the menu…’.”
Matt joked about the necessity of bouncing back quickly as a freelancer: “Nothing motivates you more than being self-employed I find. If I’m laying in the hospital bed then I ain’t being paid so I need to get up. That was a big motivator. It wasn’t pleasant, I’ve had more fun, but the morphine was good until that wore off. But you know – there’s other things going on in the world.”
Cat bite
In July 2021, Matt Tebbutt revealed he had been forced to seek medical attention twice in one week after suffering a nasty cat bite.
The Saturday Kitchen host appeared on the show with his finger bandaged, explaining to viewers that he had required treatment at Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny. While he didn’t go into detail about why he needed to return for a second visit, he made sure to publicly praise the staff who had cared for him.
“On a personal note from me, can I please thank everyone at Nevill Hall hospital in Abergavenny who helped me out not once, but twice, in what was the old A&E,” he told viewers on Saturday (July 3).
“I went in with a gammy finger. It is a long story, and not particularly attractive, but they are absolute angels. I couldn’t thank them enough. You have been absolutely brilliant. Thank God we all have people like you on our team, so thanks very much.”
Energy levels
Matt has also opened up about the challenges of maintaining energy as he gets older. Speaking candidly on Gabby Logan’s podcast, The Mid-Point, the Saturday Kitchen host admitted he was “facing a losing battle” when it comes to staying youthful and energetic.
He told Gabby: “I’m losing the battle,” and elaborated on the difficulties of keeping pace with an active lifestyle: “I want to do this, go to this party and then do three days on the trot at a festival—but at 51, I realise it’s quite draining!”
Matt acknowledged that the energetic lifestyle he once took for granted now requires more careful planning. Recent experiences, he said, have taught him to slow down and reassess his priorities.
Diet changes
Remarkably, just two weeks after his appendix surgery, Matt was back presenting on Saturday Kitchen, attributing his quick return to the demands of being self-employed. Yet the ordeal prompted him to rethink his health and diet.
“You just sort of take stock of where you’re at, how much you’re eating, how much you’re drinking, late nights, going out, stuff like that,” he recounted. “It did have a big effect actually, so yeah, I came out of the other side thinking, OK let’s just pace this a little bit better.”
“I wanted to get a better understanding of how I’m ticking along and, yeah, I recently had one of those full body MOTs and, thankfully, that all came out well,” Matt continued. “I’m good, I’m OK, and going to keep doing what I’m doing.”
He has been monitoring how specific foods affect his blood sugar and shares tips for healthier choices, particularly around festive indulgences. After enjoying sushi, he discovered: “It turns out it’s not hugely healthy, in terms of glucose spikes because obviously sushi’s white rice is often soaked in sugar, so that was a big thing for me, a big reveal.”
Matt also suggests swapping crisps for nuts, balancing cheeseboards with celery sticks, making sauces from scratch, choosing dark chocolate over high-sugar varieties, and starting the day with a protein-rich breakfast to stay satisfied.