The ITV daytime star Alysia Vasey, who is known as The Yorkshire Forager, has revealed she was left with nothing but five bin liners of clothes after splitting with her husband.
In a series of emotional Instagram posts, Vasey – who is known for her regular appearances on James Martin’s Saturday Morning – said that she and her husband had separated over the Christmas 2025 break, and that she’s struggled in the months since.
“Five bin liners of clothes were all I were left with at 54 years old a week before Christmas,” Vasey wrote. “I had just had to buy a tonne of coal, spent Nan’s bit of inheritance money on replacing two logburners, bought a new cooker, a new stand up fridge and everything in for Christmas.”
She expressed solidarity with other women experiencing divorce, adding: “To all those going through what [I] am going through, especially to those sleeping on a couch, to those trying to cope [with] what’s happening to them, to those who like me are trying to take small steps forward … I know it’s hard, you didn’t deserve it. None of us did.”
Vasey first discussed her divorce on Tuesday (11 August), admitting that she’s “lost just about everything” since splitting with her husband.
In a follow-up post, she thanked her followers for their support, alongside a picture of some underwear hanging on a washing line.
“I have been completely overwhelmed with your kind words and support, I will give an update later whilst it all just settles down,” she wrote. “Big girl pants on.”
Vasey shot to fame as a botanicals expert and wild food consultant, appearing in segments of Saturday Morning with James Martin, Ainsley Harriet’s Good Mood Food and BBC One’s Countryfile. Her work in fresh produce, often handpicked from her base in Yorkshire, has seen her be poached as a supplier for a number of top restaurants.
She told Savour Magazine in 2021 that she was invited to appear on Martin’s ITV show after her work began appearing in the media.
“Me and James just hit it off,” she explained. “I almost did a runner as I was that nervous but when the cameras came on and I was in front of James, it was like a lightning bolt just hit me; our chemistry was amazing and he loved the caramel sauce I made!”
She added: “I never watch myself on TV, I’m not auditioning for Love Island, I’m just a relatively normal person who knows a lot about botanicals and foraging for food. That runs through my DNA. I want to make food in the countryside accessible to everyone.”