All posts tagged: MasterChef

Celebrity MasterChef 2026 confirms Coronation Street legend in latest round of line-up additions

Celebrity MasterChef 2026 confirms Coronation Street legend in latest round of line-up additions

Published by Daniella Wilson

Celebrity MasterChef has completed its line-up by revealing the third and final heat of this year’s competition. Olympian Lauren Steadman, YouTuber Max Fosh, broadcaster Melvin Odoom, Coronation Street’s Sue Cleaver and The Saturdays’ Una Healy have all signed up to test their nerve in the MasterChef kitchen. They will have to pass their heat in order to get to the next round – with new judge Giorgio Locatelli joining Grace Dent to knock out competitors after each episode. Ahead of the show airing later this summer, 15 stars have been announced across this past week by the heat they’re set to make their debut in. Heat one was confirmed to be Emily Campbell, Jason Mohammad, Shakira Khan, Joe Pasquale and Jay McGuiness. Heat two’s stars are Donna Preston, Emily Steel, Eric Underwood, Nitin Ganatra and Tom Simons. Melvin Odoom for Celebrity MasterChef 2026. BBC/Shine TV Now the race is truly on to see who will take home the trophy at the end of the season. Paratriathlon sports star Lauren Steadman is used to pressure, but can she …

Celebrity MasterChef 2026 confirms EastEnders legend and Gladiators icon

Celebrity MasterChef 2026 confirms EastEnders legend and Gladiators icon

Published by Daniella Wilson

Celebrity MasterChef 2026 is adding to its line-up and has revealed the five stars set to compete in the second heat of this year’s competition. On Monday, it was confirmed this year’s heat one would feature stars including Love Island’s Shakira Khan, comedy legend Joe Pasquale and The Wanted star Jay McGuinness. However, if they get past their heat, they’ll have more fellow stars to go head-to-head against in order to lift that acclaimed trophy. In the second announcement for this week’s series, the BBC have confirmed Donna Preston, Emily Steel, Eric Underwood, Nitin Ganatra and Tom Simons (aka TommyInnit) will be showing off their skills in the kitchen during heat two. Comedian and actress Donna Preston, who also appeared in Celebrity Big Brother 2025, called appearing on Celebrity MasterChef “a dream of hers” and added: “I want to do MasterChef to learn, to challenge myself, to work under pressure. “I would absolutely love that trophy, but I’m really excited about the apron.” Donna Preston on Celebrity MasterChef 2026. BBC Emily Steel – best known as …

Meghan Markle Returns to TV for MasterChef Australia Appearance

Meghan Markle Returns to TV for MasterChef Australia Appearance

Published by Sam Flores

After a very long time away from broadcast television, Meghan Markle returned to the small screen Sunday, appearing as a guest judge on MasterChef Australia. The show, which is patterned after the British series that arguably brought Gordon Ramsay to the world’s attention, airs on Australia’s Network 10. For its 18th season, which kicked off on April 19, judges Andy Allen, Sofia Levin, Jean-Christophe Novelli, and Poh Ling Yeow evaluate dishes prepared by a curated list of chefs with food fame aspirations. Allen, the winner of the show’s fourth season, is also the new parent of a son born April 13. As a result, he took a paternity leave from the show, temporarily opening up a slot on the judging roster. That’s where Meghan Markle came in. On Sunday’s episode, Poh informed contestants that Allen’s seat would be filled by a very special guest, as the Duchess of Sussex entered the room. “Welcome. Do I call you Duchess?” Poh asked. “Oh, call me Meghan,” she replied. “Absolutely, yeah.” Despite the As Ever founder’s casual tone, …

Prince Harry interrupts Meghan Markle’s Masterchef debut: ‘Very sorry to disturb you’

Prince Harry interrupts Meghan Markle’s Masterchef debut: ‘Very sorry to disturb you’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Meghan Markle was delighted when her husband Prince Harry surprised her with a phone call during her appearance on Masterchef Australia. The Duchess of Sussex, 44, made her show debut down under, serving as a guest judge on the Australian edition of the popular cooking competition. Meghan was revealed to the contestants as the “mystery guest judge” who would be filling in for Andy Allen as he went on paternity leave. The aspiring chefs appeared visibly shocked when Meghan walked into the MasterChef kitchen, with one stating: “Who would have thought you come on here to make a roll, and you get to meet the Duchess of Sussex?” The judging of the dishes, however, was interrupted by a surprise phone call to the studio from Prince Harry. “Hi my love!” Meghan said to the phone camera, telling the crew: “My husband’s …

MasterChef star undergoes mastectomy following secret cancer ‘scare’

MasterChef star undergoes mastectomy following secret cancer ‘scare’

Published by Daniella Wilson

MasterChef star Thomasina Miers revealed she underwent a mastectomy on Friday, after discovering two lumps. The 50-year-old chef, who won the beloved BBC cooking show in 2005, shared the news on Wednesday, posting a series of photos of her in hospital alongside a lengthy caption detailing her journey with cancer so far.  “So….I had a mastectomy last Friday. Originally, I’d had a cyst there, but the 2nd (& 3rd) lump turned out not to be one at all. Quite the reverse. They were bad asses. Take out: Always check a lump EVEN if you think it’s a cyst and do it promptly!!!” Thomasina then explained that her prognosis looks positive. “Prognosis so far is good. Seem to have stumbled upon some incredible doctors, and I am in awe of them.” The MasterChef champion went on to list all the things that have helped her, including Hippocrates and Ayurvedic medicine.  “I believe in the ancient wisdom of Hippocrates & Ayurvedic medicine. Food is medicine. Positive framing is everything. Food is medicine,” she also penned, explaining how …

Who won MasterChef 2026? Season 22 winner revealed after final cook-off

Who won MasterChef 2026? Season 22 winner revealed after final cook-off

Published by Daniella Wilson

After seven long weeks of intense competition, the final of MasterChef 2026 has arrived, and tonight one of the three exceptional cooks remaining took home the trophy. Judges Anna Haugh and Grace Dent chose the three cooks for a reason, but to get their hands on the trophy, they needed to pull out every stop imaginable – and a few more. In tonight’s final, the judges tasked each cook to prepare their best three courses possible in three hours. The plates had to be technically perfect in terms of flavour profiles and execution, and crucially, they had to show progression beyond anything served to date. After an intense final and plenty of delicious dishes, Jhané was crowned the MasterChef 2026 champion. MasterChef winner Jhané. BBC/Shine TV Jhané beat fellow finalists Kristen and Matt, before she was awarded the coveted trophy during tonight’s final. She triumphed in a final showdown that impressed the judges with her bold flavours and confident food identity drawn from the family parties she grew up enjoying. Reacting to her MasterChef win, Jhané …

Celebrity MasterChef Unveils New Judge Following John Torode Firing

Celebrity MasterChef Unveils New Judge Following John Torode Firing

Published by Sam Flores

Grace Dent and Giorgio Locatelli will front the next season of Celebrity MasterChef together Celebrity MasterChef judge Grace Dent will get a new co-star on the next series of the star-studded BBC reality show. On Wednesday morning, it was revealed that Michelin-starred chef and restaurateur Giorgio Locatelli would be lending his services to the next season of MasterChef’s celebrity counterpart. The Italian cook announced the news during an appearance on the podcast Table Manners, ahead of his Celebrity MasterChef debut later in the summer. In a press release, he enthused: “Hosting Celebrity MasterChef alongside Grace is a real honour. I can’t wait for you to see what our celebrity contestants bring to the kitchen, as we are really putting their culinary skills to the test in this series.” Grace added: “Giorgio Locatelli is a fabulous addition to our UK Celebrity MasterChef team.  “I’m a long-time admirer of his work and was a huge fan of Locanda Locatelli; for many years, it was one of my happy places to eat. I couldn’t be happier to combine …

BBC confirms date for MasterChef 2026 final after show enters new era

BBC confirms date for MasterChef 2026 final after show enters new era

Published by Daniella Wilson

The BBC has confirmed when fans can expect the MasterChef 2026 final to air – and it’s just weeks away. The final, which will see one contestant claim the title as the 2026 champion, will air on Friday 5 June at 8pm on BBC One. The show returned for its latest season in April, welcoming fans to a new era as fresh judges Grace Dent and Anna Haugh took over the reins following Gregg Wallace’s and John Torode’s exits. Wallace and Torode were axed as presenters back in July 2025, with the BBC then confirming that it would air season 21 – the series filmed in 2024 which features both hosts – for the sake of the cooks who had taken part in the process. Food critic Dent and Irish chef and restaurateur Haugh were then announced as the new hosts in September, with Dent – who has been a regular guest judge on MasterChef for the past decade – saying: “I’m over the moon to be coming back to the MasterChef kitchen and unearthing …

MasterChef fans, welcome to the new era with judges Grace Dent and Anna Haugh

MasterChef fans, welcome to the new era with judges Grace Dent and Anna Haugh

Published by Daniella Wilson

Add EastEnders to your watchlist Ross Kemp insists he’s not “any sort of a hard man, really”. And, of course, you can’t help but smile, because the very act of hearing him say it triggers a mental slideshow of moments that suggest otherwise. Long-time Kemp watchers will have their own favourites. Perhaps the episodes of his Extreme World documentary that saw him dodging sniper fire in Afghanistan and Syria. Or the time he was in Colombia reporting on the drug trade there only to be stopped in his car by a man with a knife looking for a bribe. And what did Kemp do? “I told him to f*** off.” The list goes on. How about the time he was told to get down on his knees by armed guerrillas in Papua New Guinea and, instead, he reached for one of their gun barrels and said, “You’re not going to kill me.” Fans of Kemp’s 2023 memoir Take Nothing for Granted may also recall the story of the night he drunkenly went swimming in crocodile-infested …

MasterChef 2026 contestants: Confirmed cast for season 22

MasterChef 2026 contestants: Confirmed cast for season 22

Published by Daniella Wilson

MasterChef is back and ready to fire up and grill a new batch of contestants hoping to impress the judges. With Grace Dent and Anna Haugh at the helm as the new hosts, the 22nd series of the BBC cooking competition is making sure this is one to remember. Taking over from John Torode and Gregg Wallace, both Haugh and Dent shared during an interview with Radio Times that they’re not worried about grabbing the reins. “Well, it’s bigger than any one person,” Haugh said, “and the contestants are brilliant. The show is a reflection of them.” But who will simmer under the pressure and who will reach boiling point as the heats get under way? With 48 contestants all fighting for a handful of the sought-after white MasterChef aprons, they’ll have to whip up something special in order to make it through. Meet the team of amateur chefs ready to take on the challenge, and why they’ve decided to do the show. MasterChef 2026 contestants: Who is competing in series 22? Who is in …