Claudia Winkleman has reportedly signed up to host ITV's reboot of Hell's Kitchen, according to The Sun. The 54-year-old broadcaster, known for presenting The Traitors on the BBC, is said to be forming a new double act with Gordon Ramsay for the upcoming culinary contest's revival.
The Sun reported in September that the star had been approached, but now she has allegedly signed with the rival broadcaster. This move marks her first work for ITV since hosting Hell's Kitchen's fourth series back in 2009. Despite the switch, she is understood to continue presenting The Traitors on the BBC.
Major Coup for ITV
A source told The Sun: "This is a major coup for ITV and everyone is very excited. Claudia was exceptional on Hell's Kitchen back in the Noughties and is absolutely still the right person for the job."
Hell's Kitchen UK ran for four series from 2004 to 2009, with Claudia taking over from Angus Deayton after the third series. Gordon Ramsay is also returning to the helm after filming just one series back in the day. In the second series, he handed over judging powers to Gary Rhodes and Jean-Christophe Novelli, while Marco Pierre White fronted series three and four.
Reboot Plans Confirmed
Speaking to The Sun in June, Ramsay exclusively revealed that plans were in motion for the big reboot. He said: "I can tell you exclusively, I think we're gonna come back to the UK with Hell's Kitchen live next year."
"And it's about time, because everywhere I go across the UK, it's 'Please bring it back'. So we're talking now with ITV to bring it back. And fingers crossed, we'll have something exciting to keep you updated on."
Express.co.uk has reached out to an ITV spokesperson for a comment.
Winkleman's Busy Schedule
The news comes after the broadcaster quit her self-titled chat show after just one series. Although she has left various projects this year, Winkleman has struggled to find downtime. After concluding the second series of Celebrity Traitors, she is preparing for the fifth series of the original, which returns in early January. She also wrapped the fourth series of The Piano this year and joined the dog show Crufts back in March alongside Clare Balding and the team.
Despite hosting the star-studded show, the mum-of-three has ruled out ever taking part in the celebrity edition. She previously told the press the real reason why she will never compete: "I'm too thick", she chuckled. "I musn't play it in public. I must not, thank you so much. I'm just being honest. I could have come up with a schmoozier [answer], but no. It's a privilege to play that game and to be at the round table, but I think I would just be too awful at it."
The first celebrity edition was won by Traitor Alan Carr and proved a ratings hit, earning multiple awards. Sarah Fay, executive producer, said she was "chuffed" by its success and hopes the second series will be just as popular. She said: "We never take for granted that the audience is always going to come to it. So (the first series) felt a little bit like Monopoly money; it just didn’t seem real, but obviously we’re so, so chuffed."
"But going into the series, we wanted to make sure it felt it wasn’t comparable and we could bring a new freshness to it. A new cast could bring something to it, whether that’s the dynamics of Rob and Romesh, with a celebrity duo with new twists, new turns. We’re always looking at ways to up the ante and make it feel like compelling viewing."
