Welsh presenter Jason Mohammad has taken on a new role, as he joins the contestants taking part in Celebrity MasterChef.
The star is hoping to win over Grace Dent and Giorgio Locatelli with his cooking, as he competes against actor and author Joe Pasquale, The Wanted's Jay McGuinness, weightlifter and Olympic medallist Emily Campbell, and Love Island star Shakira Khan.
Having already suffered a blow during the first episode, Jason managed to avoid the first elimination, which sadly saw singer Jay leave the competition, reports the Mirror.
Jason Mohammad's Life and Career
Jason is a Welsh broadcaster working across radio and television, and was born and raised in Cardiff to a Pakistani father and Welsh mother.
He has previously spoken about his identity, recalling one conversation with a taxi driver in a 2018 interview. Jason told The Telegraph: “I found myself having to tell him the full back story of my faith, about being a proud Cardiffian, proud to be Welsh, proud to be British, but also proud of my Pakistani Muslim heritage. It’s not something I am usually that open about. Definitely not with taxi drivers.”
He's also previously spoken about the racist abuse he suffered, telling The Guardian in 2021: “I was called a ‘Muzzie’ and the P-word and remember walking home from school one day and a kid spitting at me for no reason. That’s just what it was like back then for someone like me – the only Muslim kid in my school, one of very few Mohammads on my side of Cardiff, in a hard place where there were lots of racists around.”
He went on: “While I didn’t suffer racism every day I was constantly made aware I was different, and when you’re aware you’re different you feel it [racist abuse] could happen at any moment. That type of thing sticks with you and can damage you in adulthood. That was definitely the case for me, hence me feeling unable and unwilling to talk about my faith for many years.”
BBC Career and Net Worth
Jason began working for BBC Cymru Wales as a correspondent for BBC Wales Today, before progressing to Wales on Saturday.
The 52-year-old subsequently succeeded Gabby Logan as presenter of Final Score from 2013, having formerly worked as a reporter on the programme. He's also known for appearing on programmes such as Match of the Day and serving as a broadcaster at the Olympic Games in both London and Rio.
Beyond television, Jason hosts programmes on BBC Radio Wales and has fronted Radio 5 Live Sport segments. In 2018, he joined Kate Bottley as a presenter on Good Morning Sunday on Radio 2.
According to the BBC's most recent annual salaries list, which discloses the earnings of its highest-paid personalities, Jason featured within the top 30, with earnings between £290,000 and £294,999.
Personal Life
Away from his professional life, Jason is married to his wife Nicola, with the couple sharing three children - Lili, Max and Poppy.
Celebrity MasterChef is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
