After confirming the first group of celebrities entering the MasterChef kitchen yesterday, the BBC has now also revealed the second batch – including an EastEnders actor and a Celebrity Big Brother star.
Here are the newly-announced Celebrity MasterChef stars, who will be competing in week two of the cooking competition once it returns to our screens.
BBC
Nitin Ganatra
Probably best known for playing Masood Ahmed in the beloved BBC soap EastEnders, the actor has also appeared in ITV sitcom Changing Ends as well as Sky thriller Sweetpea.
As for why he’s decided to take part in the cooking show, he said: “I’m doing it for my mum who I was extremely close to. She was the best cook in the world.
“Food is first in our family. The first question she always asked was, ‘What do you want to eat?’. I’m a vegetarian and pre-diabetic – therefore, I have recently undergone a food revolution where I have explored cooking to utilise it in the healthiest way.”
BBC
Donna Preston
Donna Preston’s impressive acting CV spans roles in Prime Video’s Good Omens, Sky comedy Brassic, and British comedy Inside No. 9. Fans may also recognise her from her time in the Celebrity Big Brother house, where she appeared on the same season as winner Danny Beard, JoJo Siwa, and Chris Hughes.
The actor described Celebrity MasterChef as “a dream of mine”, adding: “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.”
BBC
Eric Underwood
A presenter and former Royal Ballet Dancer, Eric Underwood has said of taking part in Celebrity MasterChef: “Ballet dancers and food do not go naturally together but I want to change that perception. I love cooking and entertaining – well, I give it a go, and I’m very willing to learn and put effort into it. I live on a farm with my husband and we’re hoping to get into ‘farm to table’ – we grow our own veg and have cows, chickens, sheep, bees. We make our own honey.”
He has also revealed that he learnt to cook by watching his mum, adding: “Food at home was definitely ‘soul food’. The first meal I made for my family was fried chicken, collard greens and mac and cheese.”
BBC
Emily Steel
One of the Gladiators on the BBC reboot, she is known as ‘Dynamite‘ on the show. Emily Steel also has a background in competitive swimming, and is an elite CrossFit athlete.
Emily has said that she rates her cooking skills an “eight out of ten”, and when asked what made her want to take part in MasterChef, she revealed: “I love experimenting with recipes and ideas I find it so enjoyable cooking for other people – I’m really into presentation, and I always want to pair my food with a mocktail or nice drink.”
BBC
Tom Simons aka TommyInnit
A YouTuber and comedian, Tom said of joining the BBC show: “I’m excited because it looks like great fun, and I think I can make some basic but creative meals. I’m not a great cook but I will try really hard. It’s my first time on a proper TV show!”
“Most of my recipes are family recipes. I don’t tend to use cookbooks or websites,” he also teased, adding: “I learnt to cook at 17 from my parents, we would cook over FaceTime together.”
Celebrity MasterChef lineup: Heat One
BBC
Shakira Khan
Love Island’s Shakira Khan was among the famous faces revealed on Monday for the competitive cooking show’s first round of heats, having captured the hearts of the public during her time on the ITV2 dating show last year as part of a breakout trio that also included Toni Laites and Yasmin Pettet.
As a group, they now front Love Island’s spinoff vodcast show The Debrief, but Shakira will go it alone to compete on MasterChef.
“I’m always up for a challenge and I love cooking, but I’m a simple cook,” the TV personality said. “I’m good but I want to go out of my comfort zone and learn ‘sick recipes’ – it will be fun.
“I want to make my family proud and show the flavours I grew up with. I also want to prove to myself that I can improve and surprise people.”
Speaking about her earliest memories of cooking, Shakira said: “My dad is an amazing family cook. He has been tutoring me ahead of the competition, whereas my mom would burn fish fingers.
“I learnt about Pakistani heritage from my dad. We ended up fusing cuisines and creating dishes like keema spaghetti bolognese or curried beans on toast.”
BBC
Emily Campbell
A weightlifter and Olympic medallist, Emily Campbell made history when she took home Team GB’s first-ever medal in women’s weightlifting at Tokyo in 2020.
“I’ve always been a massive fan of the show and always wanted to be on it! I love cooking and love food and really want to challenge myself in the culinary space,” Emily said. “I’m confident in the kitchen, but there’s a lot I want to know. My good friend Kadeena Cox won the show, and it inspired me to give it a go – we are bonded by food! Life’s too short not to challenge yourself!”
When it comes to her favourite things to cook, Emily has said: “I love Mexican food, but with my Caribbean heritage I like to put a spin on it!
“I cook for myself every day. I’ll make salmon, rice and grilled veg, chicken laksa, chicken caesar salad, poke bowls or spaghetti bolognese.”
BBC
Jay McGuiness
Following in the footsteps of his The Wanted bandmates Tom Parker and Max George, Jay is stepping into the famous BBC kitchen. “I was so impressed watching them,” he said. “I like challenges and learning new things. What’s the worst that could happen?”
The musician said of his cooking style: “As a vegetarian, my cooking is 100 iterations of rice or potatoes and vegetables, fried tofu or mock meats.
“I wouldn’t say I’m experimental, but I do love to add spice. My presentation is terrible but under pressure I can follow orders and rarely get in a flap. Regardless of how the cooking goes, I’ll eat it! Burnt, rubbery, salty, it’s going in. My loved ones have watched me eat some rotten stuff in awe and disgust.”
BBC
Jason Mohammad
The BBC presenter and radio host has fronted a number of different shows, including Radio 2, 5 Live Sport, and Match of the Day.
“I love food and I’m passionate about feeding people,” he said of why he’s taking part in MasterChef. “Some of my greatest memories in my life have been surrounded by food, especially after Ramadan. Tables full of food at Eid and feeding and eating with my fellow Muslims at my mosque during Eid celebrations.
“But also, very special Christmases and birthdays have been memorable because of the food we had. I take a lot of pride in feeding people. I love to see the joy in their faces once I have fed them. I also enjoy being fed.”
BBC
Joe Pasquale
A comedian and TV host, Joe Pasquale has also previously appeared in I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, as well as Dancing on Ice.
“I love a good challenge,” he said. “I don’t like to be in shallow water; I love the deep end… and I love the adrenaline that goes with pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. I’m a huge fan of the show and have watched it for many years. I really hope to learn something as I’ve always fancied myself as a bit of a chef as I love to experiment but never had the confidence to pursue it.”
Of his go-to dishes, he said: “I don’t really have a favourite cuisine – I’ve been on the road for 41 years as a travelling comic, so I’ve tasted all sorts of food, good and bad over the years, but if I eat out it’s usually Thai.”
Celebrity MasterChef is expected to return to the BBC this summer.
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TV Editor, Digital Spy Laura has been watching television for over 30 years and professionally writing about entertainment for almost 10 of those. Previously at LOOK and now heading up the TV desk at the UK’s biggest TV and movies site Digital Spy, Laura has helped steer conversations around some of the most popular shows on the box. Laura has appeared on Channel 5 News and radio to talk viewing habits and TV recommendations. As well as putting her nerd-level Buffy knowledge to good use during an IRL meet with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Laura also once had afternoon tea with One Direction, has sat around the fire pit of the Love Island villa, spoken to Sir David Attenborough about the world’s oceans and even interviewed Rylan from inside the Big Brother house (housemate status, forever pending).