James Martin: ITV star is known for his love of cars (Image: GETTY)
A year after his BBC split, James told ITV s Good Morning Britain (GMB) the driving force behind his decision to leave came after someone took to a stage and passed away in front of me .
Reports show the man was believed to have been a singer who had performed at the BBC Good Food Middle East Awards in 2015.
James had been attending the event in the United Arab Emirates, and told GMB that after witnessing the man s death he made a decision to change .
He added: I looked back at all the work I d done - four days off that year and five the year before and I thought something s got to change.