Celebrity MasterChef star Eric Underwood has revealed he was left "panicked" when he met King Charles and Queen Camilla. The former royal ballet dancer met the then Prince Charles and his wife alongside his company at Highgrove, their private residence in Gloucestershire.
Having only been living in the UK for a few weeks at the time in 2006, the 42-year-old insisted he wasn't familiar with royal protocol and became flustered over what to say and do.
An awkward first encounter
He told Hello! Magazine: "I didn't know what to say. I panicked and said, 'It's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you'.
"And then I ran to a corner. I haven't met them since," he added, before laughing: "I'd love to redeem myself."
During his time as a dancer, Eric also performed for the late Queen Elizabeth II. Now focused more on presenting, he said he doesn't miss the world of dance, although he still teaches children occasionally through charity work.
Competing on Celebrity MasterChef
He is currently putting his cooking skills to the test in the new series of Celebrity MasterChef. The BBC cooking competition returns for its second week of heats tonight (August 25), with Eric and four new famous faces battling to impress judges Grace Dent and Giorgio Locatelli and secure their place in the competition.
Before they can move on to the next stage, however, the five contestants are tasked with identifying mystery ingredients without being able to see them or given any clues. One wrong guess in the challenge will see a contestant eliminated, while those who succeed will have the chance to secure a significant advantage in the next round.
A teaser clip from the episode shows Giorgio telling the contestants: "Since this challenge is about the palate and the palate only, you will be doing this blindfolded."
Elimination and royal update
The fate of the five celebrities will be determined in tonight's episode, following the recent elimination of Jason Mohammad from the competition. At the time, the presenter encountered problems with his dish, with Grace noting: "You had trouble in that round. I could see you beginning to become very stressed and I think that the fact that you've delivered this entire plate is really to be commended."
Jason added: "That was a really tough one because I've never, ever made cabbage rolls." Unfortunately, his efforts weren't enough to keep him in the competition, as he became the latest celebrity to be eliminated. Upon leaving the kitchen, he said: "Thank you so much. It's been incredible. Thank you for having me, it's been the best thing I've ever done."
Meanwhile, Camilla recently made a rare comment about Charles' health after his cancer diagnosis in 2024. In a new seven-minute film released last week to mark the 30th anniversary of Maggie's, the cancer support charity of which she has been president since 2008, she praised the positive attitude her husband adopted as he faced treatment. "Look at my husband, nothing stopped him. He just said this is my way I am going to cope with it," she shared.
Celebrity MasterChef continues tonight at 9pm on BBC One.
