Grace Dent is getting a new Celebrity MasterChef partner, with Giorgio Locatelli named as the show’s latest judge ahead of the next season this summer. The Italian chef will join Dent on the celebrity edition after John Torode was sacked last year.
The timing matters because Celebrity MasterChef is returning with a reshaped judging line-up just months after the moved on from Torode, who had appeared alongside Dent in the last season filmed before his axing. Locatelli said hosting the show with her was “a real honour” and promised to put celebrity contestants’ skills to the test.
For Dent, the pairing is personal as well as professional. She said Locatelli was “a fabulous addition to our UK Celebrity MasterChef team”, adding that she had been “a long-time admirer of his work” and a huge fan of Locanda Locatelli. She said she could not be happier to combine their “shared joy, passion, and expertise for food”, and joked that she had a feeling he was going to give her “a real run for my money”.
Locatelli arrives with serious TV and kitchen pedigree. He has been a judge on MasterChef Italia since 2018 and has also hosted Italy Unpacked and Sicily Unpacked for the. He said he was “a bad cop” in his dynamic with Dent and described himself as “strict about cleanliness and organisation”, the sort of detail that suggests the new partnership will not be short on pressure.
The ’s reshuffle follows a difficult year for the franchise. Torode was sacked last summer after an allegation that he used racist language, and he said he had no recollection of what he was accused of. Gregg Wallace was also removed after 45 allegations of misconduct were upheld by an inquiry. Wallace and Torode were later replaced by Dent and Anna Haugh on the main MasterChef series.
Locatelli has already filmed Celebrity MasterChef, but the has not said exactly when this summer it will land on air. What is clear is that the celebrity edition will now run with a fresh judge beside Dent, and the next season is being positioned as the first real test of how the show looks after its most turbulent handover in years. Celebrity MasterChef airs on One and streams on iPlayer.
