A Michelin-starred celebrity chef has said he rejected an offer to work on Meghan Markle’s new Netflix show.

According to Jameson Stocks, the streaming company reached out to him for his expertise in advising on a new lifestyle program that had an air of mystery surrounding it. He initially believed that this project was related to the 43-year-old’s anticipated series.

But the cooking expert was worried about being ‘slammed for being a part of it’ and declined.

Stocks, 41, said he did not want to participate in something ‘forced and fake’ and was not sure it would be a good series.

And the celebrity chef seems to think he made the right choice, now blasting the Netflix show as ‘terrible and painful’ to watch.

He told GB News: ‘I honestly thought it was terrible. Everything – the music is quite slow, it’s quite lethargic, it’s quite painful to watch.’

Stocks said people should stick to what they do best, and in Meghan’s case he thinks this is acting.

He added scathingly: ‘I think she should go back to acting – she’s quite a good actress. In real life or on screen.’

He said: ‘I was asked last year by Netflix if I wanted to consult on a lifestyle program. 

‘They didn’t go into too much detail about who it was but I already kind of knew anyway. 

‘I felt like even if she produced a really great programme – which I was quite sceptical of – that I might get a little bit slammed for being a part of it.

‘I didn’t like the idea of me showing her how to do something and then it being forced and fake.

‘I imagine Netflix would have had two or three consultants – a stylist, for her clothes, to give her ideas for the food.

‘If she is going to do something herself, she should do something herself. Netflix is obviously such a huge company, they’re going to surround her with quality people to make her look good.

‘At the end of the day, they’re trying to chase the money.

‘I honestly thought it was terrible. Everything – the music is quite slow, it’s quite lethargic, it’s quite painful to watch.

‘I think she should go back to acting – she’s quite a good actress. In real life or on screen. People should stick to what they do best.’

Those who worked on the Netflix show spoke out previously to say it was ‘a lot of fun’. 

Director Michael Steed told People: ‘Her cooking is pretty spot-on. She’s not a chef, and it’s definitely not meant to make it seem like she is, but there’s just a love of cooking that is palpable.’

A crew member added that Meghan was incredibly ‘warm,’ ‘approachable’ and ‘genuine.’

And chef Roy Choi said about her cooking: ‘She was great. This wasn’t an act, you know? This is something she truly loves to do. She was very natural in the kitchen. She knows how to welcome people – that’s a big part of cooking too.’

It comes after the Duchess admitted she makes ‘mistakes’ but insisted that she is ‘learning every day’, after her hotly-anticipated Netflix show was widely panned.

The Duchess of Sussex, 43, said that her new lifestyle brand As Ever is her ‘heartsong’ as she gushed about her new venture.

In a wide-ranging interview with star-studded bookshop Godmothers – which was named by Meghan’s pal Oprah – she also discussed books they read to Archie, five, and Lilibet, three.

The Montecito-based former actress has suffered a string of savage reviews and wide-ranging critical derision for her lifestyle series With Love, Meghan.

But Meghan, 43, seemed upbeat as she looked to the future while speaking with the booksellers – saying she is immersing herself in the ‘creative process’ and enjoying ‘nurturing’ her brand.

She said: ‘Right now! I’m launching my business, As Ever, which has been my heartsong for years.

‘Every day I’m learning so much as a founder. I’m taking baby steps and big strides at the same time, making mistakes and learning from them, and really working to find all the joy while diving into the creative process and the business.

‘Being in the granular parts of the business gives me the same feeling I have when I’m gardening: bare hands in the soil, planting a seed with so much care, and nurturing it as it grows.

‘There’s something energizing about being in my 40s and turning my passion project into a business – and sharing that with the world.’

The bookstore’s name is believed to have been sparked by Prince Harry himself – who called Winfrey and founders Jennifer Rudolph Walsh and Victoria Jackson his ‘fairy godmothers’ at a 2023 party for his controversial memoir Spare.

When Meghan’s documentary premiered on March 4, it failed to make waves with TV critics and home viewers alike mauling the show.

Hollywood magazine Variety panned the Duchess of Sussex’s series as ‘a Montecito ego trip not worth taking’ in a no holds barred review.

But the delayed lifestyle series was slammed by critics after its premiere as ‘gormless lifestyle filler’ with a ‘tangible desperation’.

The series has a 19 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes from more than 1,000 viewers on review site Rotten Tomatoes.

Since Harry and Meghan signed the mega deal with Netflix in 2020, there has been one smash hit and three relative duds.

The biographical ‘Harry & Meghan’ was the streaming service’s biggest documentary debut, viewed in almost 29 million households in its first four days, and proved a global sensation.

But Polo, a sports docuseries, Live to Lead – which focused on ‘global justice activists’ – and Heart of Invictus, about Harry’s games for wounded soldiers, proved lacklustre additions that failed to set the streaming service’s viewing figures ablaze.