James May opens up about partner in rare home admission after injury woes

By Michelle Marshall, Senior Showbiz Reporter

James May pictured with his long-term partner Sarah Frater (Image: GETTY)

James May left fans concerned after revealing an injury he sustained in a horror bike accident. It comes as the former Top Gear gave a rare insight into his personal life with his long-term girlfriend Sarah Frater.

In a new interview, The Grand Tour presenter, 61, shared he's nursing a fractured wrist after he fell off his bicycle near Hammersmith Bridge. The incident spelt bad news for the on-screen star, who had to temporarily halt filming for his new Channel 5 show, The Great Explorers.

“At my age, this sort of thing takes much longer to heal," James said to the Telegraph. “I woke up one day and the one thing I never thought would happen had happened: I felt old. It’s partly my hair; my baggy face.”

He added, “There is a trend these days to write old men like me off.”

Since he and Richard Hammond left Top Gear in 2015 after Jeremy Clarkson was dropped by the BBC, the trio have gone on to produce their own projects.

James May recently wrapped up filming the final series of The Grand Tour (Image: Getty)

James and his co-stars have exited the Prime Video motoring show, The Grand Tour.

Elsewhere, the TV star, who has been in a relationship with art critic Sarah Frater since 2000, gave a rare insight into their home life.

James admitted that his other half is keen on looking after the garden but added that he can be "neurotic" at times.

He commented, “I help around the house. I do a lot of house work. 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.”

James May and his girlfriend Sarah Frater began dating in 2000 (Image: Getty)

The couple reside in west London and although they have been together for over two decades, they have not tied the knot.

While the couple do not share any children he previously opened up about their decision.

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.

"I spend a quite a lot of time working with people in their twenties.

“That’s the nature of TV, it has a big influx of people of that age who disperse and move on to other things — it’s all very fluid.”

In 2021, James finished a five-year renovation project on his £3million house in Hammersmith.