John Torode has spoken after Gregg Wallace's MasterChef replacement was announced.
It was revealed Grace Dent will take over on the hit cooking show and John, 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."
He added: "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.”
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BBC/Shine TV)Grace, 51, had appeared on MasterChef regularly as a guest judge. She will now be a judge on the upcoming series of Celebrity MasterChef after Wallace stepped away from his BBC role amid an investigation into historical allegations of misconduct. Wallace has denied all allegations made against him and is said to be willing to co-operate with any investigation.
Dent also previously took part in a version of MasterChef: Battle Of The Critics. Following the new role announcement, she said: “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. 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.
She added: "I can’t wait to meet the fresh celebrity faces for 2025.”
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BBC)The BBC’s head of entertainment, Kalpna Patel-Knight, praised the announcement, saying: “Grace Dent is the perfect choice to step in for the next series of Celebrity MasterChef. Grace is not only an energetic and well-established member of the MasterChef team, but is also a world renowned food critic, so she will certainly keep the next batch of celebrities on their toes.”
Wallace's exit comes after a number of women came forward to make claims about his actions. Among them were Newsnight star Kirsty Wark. As a result of the allegations, Banijay UK, the show's production company, confirmed it would be launching an external review looking at historical allegations of misconduct.
Wallace’s lawyers have previously denied the accusations. Speaking to the BBC, they said: "It is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature."
While the most recent series of MasterChef: The Professionals continued to air amid the saga, two of the show's Christmas specials were pulled from the scheduling. It was confirmed Celebrity MasterChef Christmas Cook Off and a Strictly Festive Extravaganza were removed from the festive TV rota.
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