Jean-Christophe Novelli started a huge fire in his kitchen last weekend.

The celebrity chef, who had just finished filming X Factor: Battle of the Stars, fell asleep while making himself a pasta meal.

Fortunately, Novelli's cousin Vincent Cappaccio was staying with the star, and helped to put out the fire after noticing the smoke.

"He was completely exhausted after all the filming," a friend told the Sunday Mirror. "This could have been a terrible tragedy - but thanks to his cousin Jean- Christophe escaped uninjured."

A spokesperson for Novelli added, "Jean-Christophe had been sleeping just three hours a night while filming X-Factor and two other shows. The fire was very serious and has caused a lot of damage."