Celebrity MasterChef is back for another season tonight (Monday 17th November), with 15 celebs stepping into the famous kitchen.
John Torode will feature in the new series, with some pre-recorded content of the former judge still set to air. He’ll be joined by restaurant critic Grace Dent, who has appeared on the show frequently in the past.
Each week, the celebs will take on various cooking challenges in a bid to impress the judges. They’ll be hoping to follow in the footsteps of last year’s winner, Strictly Come Dancing pro Vito Coppola.
As the series gets underway, here’s all the celebs taking part – plus who we think will win.
Celebrity MasterChef 2025 cast
Below is a list of all the celebs taking part:
- Alfie Boe OBE
- Alun Wyn Jones OBE
- Antony Costa
- Ashley Cain
- Chris Hughes
- Dawn O’Porter
- Gaz Choudry MBE
- Ginger Johnson
- Jaki Graham
- Jamie Lomas
- Jodie Ounsley
- Katie McGlynn
- Michelle Heaton
- Noreen Khan
- Uma Jammeh
For more on the cast keep scrolling.
Alfie Boe OBE
Photographer:
Age: 52
Job: Actor and singer
Instagram: mralfieboe
Alfred Boe, full name Alfre Giovanni Roncalli Boe is an actor and singer, who mainly performs in musical theatre. He is currently starring as Jean Valjean in a national tour of Les Misérables. In 2019, he received an OBE for his services to music and charity.
Our verdict: We know he can act, but he’ll be interesting to see if he can pull off Michelin Star cuisine.
Alun Wyn Jones OBE
BBC
Age: 40
Job: Former rugby player
Instagram: alun.wyn.jones
Alun Wyyn Jones OBE is a Welsh former rugby union player. He spent most of kis career playing for the Ospreys and for the Wales national team.
Our verdict: As the most capped rugby player in history, he definitely has a competitive streak which we’re sure he’ll be bringing to the kitchen. But, we’ll have to wait and see what his cooking skills are like.
Antony Costa
BBC
Age: 44
Job: Singer and actor
Instagram: antonycosta
Pop star and Actor Antony Costa is swapping the stage for the kitchen. Costa is best knwon for being one quarter of the British boy band Blue. He’s since turned to acting, recently starring in the stage show, Mamma Mia! The Party, which he called “the best job I’ve ever had outside of Blue.”
On joining Celebrity MasterChef, he said: “I like to challenge myself. I’m always in the kitchen and I’ve always tried my best, but I want to improve.”
Our verdict: He’s a man of many talents, but it remains to be seen whether this extends to the kitchen.
Ashley Cain
BBC
Age: 35
Job: Former footballer and TV personality
Instagram: mrashleycain
Former footballer and TV personality has signed up for Celebrity MasterChef. Since making a name for himself he’s turned to TV presenting, most recently looking into a cartel in Colombia in Ashley Cain: Into the Danger Zone.
This isn’t Ashley’s first reality TV stint. He tool part in the fourth series of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins to help overcome the grief from the death of his daughter, Azaylia, who passed away six months after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia.
Our verdict: We’ve not seen him cook before, but we reckon Ashley is going to give it his all in the kitchen.
Chris Hughes
BBC
Age: 32
Job: Reality TV star
Instagram: chrishughesofficial
Chris Hughes is one of the celebs stepping into the MasterChef kitchen this year, but will he be able to take the heat?
Hughes is best known for appearing on the third season of Love Island. Earlier this year he appeared on Celebrity Big Brother where he met his now-girlfriend JoJo Siwa.
Our verdict: He’s not stranger to the cameras, but we’re not very confident about his cooking skills. If we can remember correctly, his fave dish on Big Brother was spaghetti hoops…
Dawn O’Porter
BBC
Age: 46
Job: Writer, director and television presenter
Instagram: hotpatooties
Scottish writer and presenter Dawn O’Porter has been confirmed for this year’s show.
She’s best known for documentaries such as Super Slim Me and My Breasts Could Kill Me, and has been married to actor Chris O’Dowd for 12 years.
Our verdict: It’ll be interested to see how Dawn copes under the pressure of a fast-paced kitchen.
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Gaz Choudry MBE
BBC
Age: 40
Job: Retired basketball player
Instagram: gaz_choudhry
Retired Team GB Paralympian Gaz Choudry is stepping into the iconic kitchen. He’s well-known in the wheelchair basketball world and landed an MBE in 2022. He’s also done a little bit of acting in recent years, appearing in Apple TV’s Extrapolations and in an episode of in an episode of Doctor Who.
Our verdict: We expect Gaz to bring his competitive nature to the kitchen, but will it be enough to see him through to the Celebrity MasterChef final? We’ll have to wait and see…
Ginger Johnson
BBC
Age: 37
Job: Drag queen and entertainer
Instagram: houseofjohnson
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season five winner Ginger Johnson (real name Donald Marshall) is swapping the glitz and glam for the kitchen.
Asked what their favourite dish to cook is, Ginger said: “My favourite dish to cook is steak (medium rare!) and chips, with loads of butter and garlic and rosemary. Luckily, that’s also my favourite thing to eat, so those two things work together quite well.”
Our verdict: Ahead of the show, Ginger spoke to their friends. “I didn’t know what my friends and family thought about my cooking until I told them I was going on MasterChef, and I don’t think they have any confidence in me whatsoever. So let’s see who’s right, me or them!” they said. Based on that, it’s not looking too good for Ginger…
Jaki Graham
BBC
Age: 69
Job: Singer
Instagram: jakigrahamofficial
Singer Jaki Graham is putting down the mic and picking up the spatula for the new season of the BBC One cooking show. She’s well known for song like ‘Could It Be I’m Falling in Love’, ‘Ain’t Nobody’ and ‘Absolutely E-Sensual’ – but what are her cooking skills like?
Our verdict: Jaki won’t be able to sing her way through the competition, so we hope she’s got some recipes up her sleeve.
Jamie Lomas
BBC
Age: 50
Job: Actor
Instagram: jamielomas21
English actor Jamie Lomas is best known for playing Warren Fox in Hollyoaks and Jake Stone in EastEnders. This year, he’s swapping the small screen for MasterChef.
Our verdict: A source told The Sun: “He’s actually quite good in the kitchen and he’s really competitive too. It’s already been filmed, but he’s not telling anyone how far he got.” Could he be this year’s winner?
Jodie Ounsley
BBC
Age: 24
Job: Gladiator and rugby player
Instagram: jodieounsley
Jodie Ounsley aka Fury on Gladiators, is one of the contestants on this year’s show. Prior to joining the rebooted BBC One series in 2024, Jodie was a rugby player. Her co-star Harry Aikines-Aryeetey was on of the celebs on the 2025 series of Strictly, however, was eliminated in early November.
Our verdict: She’s definitely competitive (well you have to be on Gladiators), but we’ll have to wait and see if she’s any good at cooking. Fingers crossed.
Katie McGlynn
BBC
Age: 32
Job: Actress
Instagram: katiexmcglynn
Katie McGlynn is best known for appearing on Coronation Street as Sinead Tinker and Jodie ‘Scout’ Allen in the BBC’s Waterloo Road. She also dabbles in theatre and will star in Murder at Midnight, which will travel across the UK in 2026.
“I decided to do Celebrity MasterChef because I genuinely want to learn more about cooking. I do enjoy being in the kitchen and I love my food at home, so it’s a brilliant opportunity to learn some real skills from some real experts. Plus, I love a good challenge. I might not be the best, but I’m going to try my best, so we’ll see what happens!” she said.
Our verdict: Ahead of the show, Katie said that her family and friends always give her “compliments” on her cooking. She added: “When I told them I was doing this, they strangely had faith in me which I didn’t expect. I think it’s because when I put my mind to something, I hyper focus on it, and I always try my best so they’re confident I’ll get through it” which is a pretty good sign.
Michelle Heaton
BBC
Age: 46
Job: Singer
Instagram: wonderwomanshel
Michelle Heaton is taking on the ultimate cooking challenge of Celebrity MasterChef this year. The 46-year-old is best known as a member of the pop group Liberty X. She has two children with her husband, Hugh Hanley.
Our verdict: We reckon Michelle is going to give Celebrity MasterChef her all, so we’d watch out if we were the other contestants tbh.
Noreen Khan
BBC
Age: 36
Job: Presenter and stand-up comedian
Instagram: officialnoreenkhan
BBC Asian Network presenter Noreen Khan is one of the contestants on this year’s show. She’s known for her comedy work and has presented shows such as Countdown, Celebrity Mastermind and Celebrity Antiques Road Show.
Our verdict: We don’t think the judges will find it very funny if Noreen doesn’t cook her food properly, especially if meat dishes! So, let’s hope her cooking skills are as good as her jokes.
Uma Jammeh
BBC
Age: 25
Job: Reality TV star, influencer and model
Instagram: umajammeh
Best known for appearing on season 11 of Love Island, model/content cretaor Uma Jammeh is trying her hand at Celebrity MasterChef.
Asked why she signed up for the show, she said: “To test myself and to do something that I’ve never done before. I was excited to get on the show, but I was a bit surprised they wanted to have me!”
Our verdict: We think Uma could be the dark horse of the series. Ahead of the show, she hinted that she’s quite the pro in the kitchen, saying: “I think my family and my friends really enjoy my cooking. Anytime I’ve cooked for my family, or they’ve tasted my food, they’re really impressed.
Celebrity MasterChef starts on Monday 17th November at 9pm.
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