Celebrity MasterChef is back for its 21st season on the BBC, with a star-studded cast of 15 celebrities heading to the kitchen. Over five weeks, they will face extraordinary challenges, with only one ultimately holding the Celebrity MasterChef trophy. The release date has yet to be announced.
The Contestants
Coronation Street star Sue Cleaver will take her cooking skills to week three. She said: "I really love the show and want to learn! Other people say I’m good, so we’ll see!"
Jay McGuinness, who previously won Strictly Come Dancing, will compete in the first heat. He revealed his cooking is inspired by his mum, with dishes like boil-in-the-bag fish with potatoes and peas, mulligatawny soup, stir fry, and Sunday dinner.
Olympic medallist weightlifter Emily Campbell will compete in week one. She said: "I’ve always been a massive fan of the show and always wanted to be on it!" adding that her friend Kadeena Cox won the show and inspired her.
TV and radio presenter Jason Mohammad described his cooking style as "throw things in a pan and hope for the best", and loves to experiment, citing his ‘JMo’s Magnificent Mackerel’ made from leftover basmati rice, tinned mackerel, kale, green chillies and soy sauce, topped with a fried egg.
Comedian Joe Pasquale brings his go-to dishes, saying he doesn't have a favourite cuisine but enjoys Thai when eating out.
Love Island star Shakira Khan wants to wow judges with her baking skills, especially desserts, noting she is "the queen of cakes" whipping up a ‘Manchester tart’ for her siblings.
Actress Donna Preston will compete in heat two, and her most popular dish with friends is crusted garlic and herb salmon on truffle potato wedges with garlic soy sauce and sesame seed broccoli.
Gladiator's Dynamite, Emily Steel, says her cooking style is influenced by her intense training, rating her skills eight out of ten.
Eric Underwood, formerly of the Royal Ballet, found his love of cooking 10 years ago. He excels at mac and cheese, can fillet a fish, and knows how to make a roux.
EastEnders actor Nitin Ganatra shared his favourite secret family recipe: his mum's garlic pickle. He was born in Kenya and learned to cook poppadoms at age seven.
YouTuber Tom Simons, known as TommyInnit, often cooks spaghetti, steak, or curry, favouring Indian and Japanese cuisines, and cooks two to three times a week.
Paralympian Lauren Steadman will bring casseroles, ramen, and spaghetti to heat three, but hates parsnips, cooked carrots, calamari, and struggles to eat octopus.
YouTuber Max Fosh loves mayonnaise, saying "There aren't many things I won’t eat it with," and takes being called "the human embodiment of mayonnaise" as a compliment.
Radio presenter Melvin Odoom impresses friends with a starter of sourdough bread, a chicken coconut curry with rice, and apple crumble for pudding.
The Saturdays star Una Healy will take part in heat three, rarely following a recipe and cooking from her head. She thinks presentation is important for others but not for herself.
