Restaurant critic Grace Dent will replace Gregg Wallace as a judge on the next series of Celebrity MasterChef after he left the programme following allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
Dent, 51, will join John Torode as a judge on the 20th series of Celebrity Masterchef, following last month’s announcement that Wallace had stepped down amid an external review into historical misconduct allegations.
In recent weeks, Sir Rod Stewart’s wife, Penny Lancaster, and Wallace’s ghostwriter have made fresh allegations against the 60-year-old.
Author and podcaster Dent, who has regularly appeared as a guest on MasterChef, said that the new role is “more than a dream”.
“I’ve been watching MasterChef since I was a girl sitting with my dad on the sofa. My whole family watches it. It’s all about uncovering and championing talent – and to have ended up in this position, is more than a dream to me,” she said.
“I’m so excited that I can’t eat, which is severely detrimental to a restaurant critic. I feel very lucky to be stepping in for the next Celebrity MasterChef.
“I can’t wait to meet the fresh celebrity faces for 2025.”
Torode, who has presented MasterChef since 2005, said: “I have loved working with Grace on MasterChef over the years. She has been an excellent guest, an inspiring critic and also set some incredible challenges.
“Expertise is what MasterChef is all about, from the contestants to our wonderful production team, to us as judges.
“The love of food, the love of MasterChef, and that unquestionable expertise, makes Grace the perfect person to step in alongside me as judge for the forthcoming Celebrity MasterChef series.”
Kalpna Patel-Knight, the BBC’s head of entertainment, said that Dent “is the perfect choice to step in for the next series of Celebrity MasterChef”.
The latest series of MasterChef: The Professionals aired amid ongoing allegations against Wallace, while two MasterChef celebrity Christmas specials and a Strictly festive special were removed from the BBC’s holiday schedule.
Wallace’s lawyers have denied the allegation, stating that “it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.”
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