Meghan Markle always wanted to be ‘a TV celebrity chef like Gordon Ramsay’ claims talent agent
With less than 15 hours to go until Meghan Markle’s cooking show ‘With Love, Meghan’ airs on Netflix, a talent agent has suggested it is a dream come true for the Duchess who has always wanted to be a ‘TV celebrity chef like Gordon Ramsay’.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Professor Jonathan Shalit OBE confirmed that he had a meeting with the Suits actress at his Charlotte Street office in 2016 to discuss several on-screen opportunities for her in the UK, including Strictly Come Dancing.
But Meghan was not fussed about salsa dancing on television. Instead, she made it clear to Professor Shalit that ‘her interest in cooking was immense’, asking him to add it to her list of ‘skills and ambitions’.
Professor Shalit, who is the Chairman of InterTalent Rights Group, recalled Meghan saying: ‘I want to be a TV celebrity chef like Gordon Ramsay.’
And the award-winning talent manager, who was awarded with an Honorary Professorship by Henley Business School and Reading University, saw potential in the young actress.
‘At the time of meeting Meghan nine years ago, I saw her as someone whose career was only going to grow and grow,’ he told MailOnline.
But, in the ultimate act of love, Meghan gave up her acting career and a starring role in the US legal drama Suits to marry Prince Harry at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018.
‘If Meghan hadn’t married Harry, she would already be hosting major TV series and continuing her successful acting career,’ said Professor Shalit.
Meghan Markle’s new Netflix show ‘With Love, Meghan’ will air on March 4
The Duchess of Sussex will be joined by guests as they roll ‘up their sleeves in the kitchen, the garden, and beyond’
Airing on March 4, ‘With Love, Meghan’ will see the Duchess of Sussex ‘reimagine the genre of lifestyle programming’ as she and her guests roll ‘up their sleeves in the kitchen, the garden, and beyond, and invite you to do the same’, according to Netflix promotional material.
‘I am glad to see she is successfully pursuing her dreams.,’ Professor Shalit told MailOnline. ‘Her interest in cooking was immense and, from what I am seeing now, clearly a great skill of Meghan’s.
‘Meghan is delightful, likeable, compelling and authentic. There is no reason why Meghan’s success will not grow and grow.’
In his 2022 book Revenge, royal biographer Tom Bower wrote about Professor Shalit’s meeting with the future Duchess in more detail.
‘Shalit was excited,’ the former BBC journalist penned. ‘[Meghan] was charming, good-looking and admired by the small audience for Suits.’
But Bower alleged that Professor Shalit was ‘unaware that while Meghan liked eating good food, her cooking skills were limited.’
Meghan’s specialities at the time, according to Bower, included plain pasta, roast chicken, hamburgers, steak and ‘blender-made vegetable soup’.
‘The rest of her food was brought ready-made,’ the author wrote. ‘Rather than cook, she imagined touring the world tasting food.
Meghan has always wanted to follow in the footsteps of Gordon Ramsay (pictured), according to a talent agent
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, talent agent Professor Jonathan Shalit OBE (pictured) remembered Meghan wanting to add cooking to her list of ‘skills and ambitions’
‘A short video of her tasting pickles in Brooklyn for Ora TV exposed her limitations. There was neither magic or magnetism,’ Bower wrote.
As the idea of a cooking programme ‘evaporated’, Professor Shalit offered Meghan an audition for the hit BBC show Strictly Come Dancing – but there was a clash with her Suits filming schedule.
So, Meghan went home empty handed.
Over a decade later, the Duchess of Sussex is set to release her cooking show on March 4, after the series was delayed from its initial January release date due to the California wildfires.
A previous trailer for ‘With Love, Meghan’ in January showed the former actress inviting friends and guests to a California estate where she shares cooking, gardening and hosting tips.
Guests include The Office star Mindy Kaling, gourmet chef Roy Choi, and restaurateur Alice Waters, ‘with additional acclaimed chefs and special friends’.
There will be eight episodes, each lasting 33 minutes.
A promotional synopsis of the show says: ‘This inspiring series, produced by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, reimagines the genre of lifestyle programming, blending practical how-tos and candid conversation with friends, new and old.
Meghan’s new eight-part show will feature her cooking, flower arranging and showing how to host small events for friends
In one clip of ‘With Love, Meghan’, the Duchess of Sussex is shown prepping vegetables with chef Roy Choi before the pair high-five one another
Meghan wipes her brow as she cooks on her new Netflix show ‘With Love, Meghan’, airing on March 4
The Duchess of Sussex is seen using edible plants while adding the finishing touches to one of her puddings
Another clip from the show features Meghan in a full beekeepers’ outfit as she gathers honey
Pictured is a beaming Meghan, who will take centre stage for the new Netflix show
‘Meghan shares personal tips and tricks, embracing playfulness over perfection and highlights how easy it can be to create beauty, even in the unexpected.
‘She and her guests roll up their sleeves in the kitchen, the garden, and beyond, and invite you to do the same.’
Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Productions helped to make the series and the Duchess also gets a credit as one of its executive producers.
‘With Love, Meghan’ launches on Netflix at 8am on Tuesday, March 4 in the UK.
