Patrick Grant shares real reason he keeps love life private after 'ordeal' with ex

Patrick Grant, best known as a judge on the BBC's The Great British Sewing Bee, has recently opened up about the troubles that fame can bring to personal relationships.

He revealed the hardship of being a "knitting circle crush" and how it impacted his past relationship with British fashion designer Katie Hillier.

Grant, who is currently seeing a London-based dentist he met at a pal's dinner bash, opts to keep the details of their romance under wraps.

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In an intimate interview with The Times, he said: "My last girlfriend was so badly stalked online while we were together. I'm loath to put someone else through that ordeal."

Determined to shield his new love interest from the glare of public scrutiny, Grant remains tight-lipped on the matter.

But he added: "Who am I to complain if audiences say I scrub up well - but I'd rather focus on work to be honest."

The stylish author has been basking in the success of his book, Sunday Times bestseller LESS, reports the Express.

Grant was previously in a relationship with fashion designer Katie Hillier.

He recounted to The Independent the moment they clicked at an afterparty in New York, during a trip for Kim Jones' menswear showcase. "When we got back to London we hooked up pretty much straight away," he said.

The couple bonded over their numerous shared interests, including fashion, history, British culture, arts, unusual hobbies, crafting, dogs, wildlife documentaries, and birdwatching.

He added: "Neither of us were as busy as we are now, so we just went out and had fun."

Describing Katie, he mentioned that she used to be "fairly wild" and praised her humility, saying she was "incredibly modest" about her accomplishments.

After their breakup, he relocated from Katie's residences in Marylebone and Oxfordshire to a mid-60s semi-detached house in Gipsy Hill.