The famous names have been unveiled for heat one and two!
Author: Alex RossPublished in 32 minutes
Celebrity MasterChef is now onto its 21st series, with a whole host of new celebs set to enter the famous kitchen to show off their culinary skills.
The new series, which will begin later this year, will see a selection of singers, sports stars, actors, authors, comedians, entertainers and presenters, all with the aim of cooking their way to becoming the new Celebrity MasterChef Champion.
Which celebs are taking part?
Although we don’t know the full line-up for the 2026 series, the BBC has now unveiled which five celebs will compete in the first and second heats.
Heat one:
Emily Campbell (Weightlifter and Olympic medallist)
Emily said: “I’ve always been a massive fan of the show and always wanted to be on it! I love cooking and love food and really want to challenge myself in the culinary space. I’m confident in the kitchen, but there’s a lot I want to know. My good friend Kadeena Cox won the show, and it inspired me to give it a go – we are bonded by food! Life’s too short not to challenge yourself.”
Jason Mohammad (TV and radio presenter)
Jason said: “I love food and I’m passionate about feeding people. Some of my greatest memories in my life have been surrounded by food, especially after Ramadan. Tables full of food at Eid and feeding and eating with my fellow Muslims at my mosque during Eid celebrations. But also, very special Christmases and birthdays have been memorable because of the food we had. I take a lot of pride in feeding people. I love to see the joy in their faces once I have fed them. I also enjoy being fed.”
Jay McGuiness (Musician, actor and author)
Jay said: “My bandmates Tom and Max had a great time on the show, and I was so impressed watching them! I like challenges and learning new things. What’s the worst that could happen?”
Joe Pasquale (Comedian, actor and author)
Joe said: “I love a good challenge. I don’t like to be in shallow water; I love the deep end… and I love the adrenaline that goes with pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. I’m a huge fan of the show and have watched it for many years. I really hope to learn something as I’ve always fancied myself as a bit of a chef as I love to experiment but never had the confidence to pursue it.”
Shakira Khan (TV personality)
Shakira said: “I’m always up for a challenge and I love cooking, but I’m a simple cook. I’m good but I want to go out of my comfort zone and learn ‘sick recipes’, it will be fun. I want to make my family proud and show the flavours I grew up with. I also want to prove to myself that I can improve and surprise people.”
Heat two:
Donna Preston (Actress and comedian)
Donna said: “It’s a dream of mine! I want to do MasterChef to learn, to challenge myself, to work under pressure. I would absolutely love that trophy, but I’m really excited about the apron.”
Emily Steel (TV Gladiator aka Dynamite)
Emily said: “While training intensely, I try to fuel myself with a nutritious, performance-focused diet. I love finding different foods to eat.
“I rate my cooking skills at eight out of ten, when everything is organised, I really try!”
Eric Underwood (Presenter and former Royal Ballet Dancer)
Eric said: “Ballet dancers and food do not go naturally together but I want to change that perception. I love cooking and entertaining – well I give it a go, and I’m very willing to learn and put effort into it. I live on a farm with my husband and we’re hoping to get into ‘farm to table’ – we grow our own veg and have cows, chickens, sheep, bees, we make our own honey.”
Nitin Ganatra (Actor)
Nitin said: “I’m doing it for my mum who I was extremely close to. She was the best cook in the world. Food is first in our family. The first question she always asked was, “what do you want to eat?”. I’m a vegetarian and pre-diabetic; therefore, I have recently undergone a food revolution where I have explored cooking to utilise it in the healthiest way.”
Tom Simons aka TommyInnit (YouTuber and stand-up comedian)
Tom said: “I’m excited because it looks like great fun, and I think I can make some basic but creative meals. I’m not a great cook but I will try really hard. It’s my first time on a proper TV show!”
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When is it on TV?
No start date for the new series has been announced just yet.
How long is it on for?
Celebrity MasterChef will air for five weeks.
The BBC say: ‘Five weeks of extraordinary challenges await in a competition that will push the celebrities beyond the comfort of their showbiz jobs. Acting the part won’t cut the mustard and singing for your supper will not equal success.
‘The only thing guaranteed is that just one of them will be left standing at the end, where their sparkling career will lead them to the shiny prize – the iconic Celebrity MasterChef trophy’.
How can I watch it?
Celebrity MasterChef airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Who hosts the show?
Grace Dent will host the show alongside new judge Giorgio Locatelli.
Giorgio replaces former MasterChef judge John Torode, following his departure from the BBC in 2025.
Giorgio said of joining the show: “I can’t wait for you to see what our celebrity contestants bring to the kitchen, as we are really putting their culinary skills to the test in this series.”
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.hellorayo.co.uk ’
