Saturday Kitchen star Russell Norman leaves wife huge sum after tragic death aged 57

star Russell Norman left his wife £1.4million after his death, reports today claim.

The TV chef and restaurateur bequeathed the large sum to his family, including three children; Ollie, Martha and Mabel, after The £1,437,000 assets includes business and personal items, according to reports.

The will, signed in 2013, ordered the estate be passed to his estranged wife Jules Norman, whom he wed in 2004 but separated from before he died. The chef, who was born in Perivale, west London, also penned his wish to be cremated and for his partner to take over his shares in his businesses, says.

Russell, 57, mentored wannabe chefs on TV and was branded "the coolest man in food" for his innovative dishes. He also wrote four cookbooks after shooting to fame on beloved staple .

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Russell studied English at university, and was briefly a civil servant before he became a chef. He then opened legendary Soho bar Polpo in 2009 with a business partner and his career in cuisine developed in the years since.

But the dad was rushed unconscious to hospital following an argument with his girlfriend in November 2023. He died five days later and an inquest in February heard Russell's death was a suicide by hanging. His inquest heard he had been displaying "suicidal tendencies" before his death.

In a statement read by Coroner Katrina Hepburn, Russell's girlfriend Dr Genevieve Verdigel, an art historian, told how she discovered Norman lying unconscious in the garden. She said: "I ran back inside to call 999. I was trying to do CPR. I was screaming and the people next door came round."

Following the chef's death, social media was flooded with tributes from admirers of his work and TV co-stars. Former Saturday Kitchen host James Martin hailed him as a "giant" of the restaurant .

Restaurant critic Jay Rayner described the late star as "one of the most gifted of restaurateurs". He shared: "So sorry to hear of the death, far too young, of Russell Norman."