James May's real reasons for never marrying or becoming an 'unfair' father
James May's Top Gear co-stars Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond may have married and started families amid their TV careers, but James chose not to follow that path for a surprising reason.
The James May's Great Explorers star, 62, has never walked down the aisle with art critic Sarah Frater, with whom he has been in a relationship since 2000.
Opening up about his romance, he told the Driven podcast: "I think it was just a result of life, let’s put that down to being a late developer. I’ve got nieces and nephews of many ages."
Content with being an uncle, James – who was in his late thirties when he began dating Sarah – said that he didn't want to be an older father raising young kids as he feels it is "unfair" and "weird."
"Maybe 'unfair' was a bit strong. But when I was at school there was a boy whose dad was the same age as my granddad and it felt weird," he clarified in an interview with The Times, before using Al Pacino and his ex Noor Alfallah, who is 54 years his junior, as an example.
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"And that actor who recently had a child with a much younger woman? He’s not going to be around very much, is he? Then again, you can be young and still not be around much, so who knows?"
James joked he is happy to pass on his knowledge of cars to his siblings' kids instead. "I have a ready audience of nieces and nephews. But listen, if anyone wants their child to learn how to fix a puncture, send them to me."
James and Sarah live in Hammersmith in London in a home thought to be worth £3 million which they built from scratch after knocking down the original property. They also have a second home in Wiltshire where they can escape from city life.
While they don't have school runs or other children's chores to consider, the pair split household chores equally – he does work inside the house and his partner focuses on the garden.
"I help around the house. I do a lot of housework. There’s a myth that men live in squalor but most men are quite tidy. Sarah likes to garden but she is not very good at looking after her tools. So I get a bit neurotic about maintaining her secateurs," he joked.
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