Inside Lisa Faulkner's life from acting career to John Torode romance - OK! Magazine

Lisa Faulkner has become a staple on our screens for many years and is famously married to MasterChef star John Torode, with the couple starring in their own show together.

The former EastEnders star, 51, who played the role of Fi Browning, has been in the spotlight for over 20 years having secured a string of TV roles and presenting gigs.

She first shot to fame when she appeared in the likes of Dangerfield, Brookside, and Holby City before competing on Celebrity MasterChef in 2010 - which brought an expected change in her life.

Lisa has led a hugely successful career, but what else do we know about the TV star...

Lisa's career kickstarted when she was just 16 years old after she was scouted by a modelling agency while waiting for the Tube in London.

She began modelling, but around the same time tragically lost her mum, Julie, to throat cancer.

Previously speaking about being scouted, Lisa said: 'That probably saved me. I was approached about becoming a model at a Tube station when I was on my way to see my mum at the Royal Marsden Hospital, so she knew there was a possibility of me doing it before she died.'

She soon turned her talents elsewhere as she entered the acting world and made her on-screen debut in the 1992 film The Lover.

Lisa went on to secure the role of Alison Dangerfield in the TV show Dangerfield, before bagging the role of Louise Hope in Channel 4's soap Brookside.

From 1999 to 2001, she played Victoria Merrick in Holby City, before her character was killed off in dramatic scenes.

The actress went on to feature in titles such as Spooks, Murder in Suburbia, and New Street Law, before signing up for Celebrity MasterChef in 2010.

At the same time, she was offered a 'lovely' role on the hit ITV soap Emmerdale but ultimately chose to take on MasterChef to pursue her love of cooking.

Lisa previously explained: 'Just before the show aired, I was offered a role on TV soap Emmerdale.

'It was such a lovely role, and I was tempted, but something in me was saying, 'No, you want to cook', it was sort of gut feeling.

'I was working in restaurants at the time, trying to get as much experience as possible. I decided to take the plunge and turn down the acting job to focus on cooking. I had no idea it would become my career, but I am so glad I took the risk.'

The risk certainly paid off as Lisa went on to win the 2010 series of Celebrity MasterChef and it was here she met her now-husband John Torode, 58.

Lisa and the straight-talking MasterChef judge initially formed a friendship before romance blossomed between the pair.

In 2019, they tied the knot in a lavish ceremony held at Aynhoe Park, in Banbury, Oxfordshire.

The couple have five children between them, with Lisa sharing adopted daughter Billie, 15, with her ex-husband Chris Coghill, while John shares Casper, Marselle, Jonah, and Lulu, with previous partners.

Lisa's cooking career kicked off after her performance on the show and she went on to co-host shows such as Real Food Family Cook Off and What's Cooking?

In 2017, Lisa revealed she would be joining the cast of EastEnders, as businesswoman Fi Browning, also known as Sophie Willmott-Brown.

She starred on the BBC One soap throughout 2017, before her character departed Albert Square in December.

Lisa has continued to pursue a career as a celebrity chef and alongside her husband launched their cooking show on ITV in 2019.

The couple host John and Lisa's Weekend Kitchen on Sunday mornings on ITV.

Not stopping there, Lisa has also released her own book, 'Meant to Be' and has starred on Celebrity Gogglebox alongside close pal Nicola Stephenson.