CELEBS including Kem Cetinay, Penny Lancaster, Megan McKenna and more are currently fighting for the crown on series 16 of Celebrity MasterChef.
They’re not the first stars to step into the kitchen hoping to secure the trophy, but how many past winners do you remember? Here’s a recap…
Series one – Matt Dawson – 2006
The spin-off’s first ever victor was Matt Dawson, a retired England Rugby player.
Matt had retired the year before, in 2005, and spent much of 2006 doing reality TV – the star also appeared on Strictly Come Dancing that same year.
Since then, Matt’s become a full-time sports commentator and presents 5-Live’s weekly Rugby Show.
Series two – Nadia Sawalha – 2007
TV personality Nadia Sawalha impressed the judges in 2007.
Nadia first made her name acting on EastEnders from 1997 to 1999.
After her appearance on Celebrity MasterChef, Nadia returned to ITV’s Loose Women as part of a presenter revamp and was later given the opportunity to co-present Junior Masterchef.
Today, she co-presents a podcast with her husband Mark Adderley, which focuses on marriage.
Series three – Liz McClarnon – 2008
Atomic Kitten Liz McClarnon proved to be a formidable foe in the kitchen back in 2008.
Liz is the longest serving member of the girl band and the only member of the group to write as well as sing.
She’s recently branched into country music, appearing at the C2C: Country to Country festival at the o2 arena.
Series four – Jayne Middlemiss – 2009
Jayne Middlemiss is a TV and radio presenter, first gaining recognition for presenting fashion show She’s Gotta Have It in 2000.
She then joined BBC Radio 6 Music in 2002 as one of the station’s original presenters.
Not only did Jayne win Celebrity MasterChef, but she also won her series of Celebrity Love Island.
Today, Jayne presents the weekend breakfast show on Panda Radio.
Series five – Lisa Faulkner – 2010
Lisa Faulkner began her career as a model after being scouted at the age of 16.
She then pursued a career in acting and has since appeared in Midsomer Murders, Death In Paradise, EastEnders and more.
After winning her series of Celebrity MasterChef, Lisa began starring in more cooking shows including What’s Cooking and Real Food Family Cook Off.
Series six – Phil Vickery – 2011
Another Rugby player, Phil Vickery became only the second man to win Celebrity MasterChef in 2011.
The sports star played for England in three Rugby world cups and was given the position of Captain in 2007.
Since his stint on the show, Phil embraced his passion for food and now acts as the Non Executive Director at Creed Food services.
Series seven – Emma Kennedy – 2012
Comedian, writer and actress Emma Kennedy graduated from Oxford and worked for a few years as a solicitor before finding a career in the spotlight.
She’s written for comedy duo Mel and Sue and made on-screen appearances in shows including Goodness Gracious Me, Jonathon Creek and People Like Us.
Today, she’s turned her talents to politics.
Emma stood in the Liberal Democrat hustings to become the party’s parliamentary candidate for Surrey Heath in 2019 – an election she lost by just three votes.
She now acts as a member of Chobham Parish Council.
Series eight – Ade Edmondson – 2013
Ade Edmondson began his comedy career in 1981 and appeared in The Comic Strip Presents… throughout the 80s and 90s.
The comedian married fellow star Jennifer Saunders in 1985 and the couple now share three children.
Recently, Ade appeared in soap opera EastEnders from 2019-2020 and is currently thought to be focusing on his punk band The Bad Shepherds.
Series nine – Sophie Thompson – 2014
Four Weddings And A Funeral star Sophie Thompson was crowned the winner of Celebrity Masterchef’s ninth series.
The actress has also appeared on the silver screen in Harry Potter, Eat Pray Love and Persuasion.
Sophie has also earned acclaim for her work in theater and has been nominated for five Olivier awards.
Most recently, she appeared in a production of Oscar Wilde’s classic The Importance of Being Earnest.
Series ten – Kimberly Wyatt – 2015
Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt impressed the notoriously tough judges to take home the win in 2015.
The dancer rose to fame in the 00s as a member of girl group The Pussycat Doll before becoming a judge on Got To Dance from 2009 to 2014 – the year before she joined the cooking show.
In 2019, Wyatt joined The Pussycat Dolls Reunion.
The band are set to embark on their first tour in over a decade in September 2022.
Series eleven – Alexis Conran – 2016
Before winning his series of Celebrity MasterChef in 2016, Alexis Conran was best known for hosting the BBC Three show The Real Hustle from 2006 to 2012.
Today, Alexis Conran hosts the weekend afternoon show on Times Radio.
Series twelve – Angellica Bell – 2017
Angellica Bell is a TV and radio presenter.
She rose to prominence on CBBC and has since appeared on shows including The Martin Money Show, The One Show and Comic Relief.
Most recently, Angellica appeared as a panelist on Richard Osman’s House Of Games.
Series thirteen – John Partridge – 2018
John Partridge is probably best known for playing Christian Clarke on BBC’s EastEnders and most recently appeared in the role in 2016.
He’s also a panto regular, and appeared as Dick Whittington at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth in 2019 – a year after his Celebrity MasterChef win.
John also secured a role in the Hollywood adaptation of Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s musical Cats, which was released in 2019 to widespread scorn.
Series fourteen – Greg Rutherford – 2019
Olympic champion Greg Rutherford proved that his talents extend beyond athletics in 2019.
Greg won gold in the long jump at London 2012’s Summer Olympic Games and secured a bronze four years later in Rio.
The sportsman didn’t go for a third medal in Tokyo 2021, but has recently revealed that he’s not done with the Olympics just yet.
In 2021, Greg revealed that he would be joining Great Britain’s bobsleigh team in time for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China.
Series fifteen – Riyadh Khalaf – 2020
Series fifteen of Celebrity MasterChef was prerecorded in early 2020, before the coronavirus pandemic could interrupt filming.
The series was won by Irish broadcaster and YouTube personality Riyadh Khalaf who first found fame in 2010 as a candidate on reality show Young, Dumb and Living Off Mum.
He’s gained some career motivation since then, however, and has appeared on Celebrity Mastermind, Queer Britain and more.
Most recently, Riyadh appeared on The One Show as a guest presenter.
When is Celebrity MasterChef on TV and how can I watch it?
Series 16 of Celebrity MasterChef began on August 9, 2021.
The show airs on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays on BBC One and is also available for streaming on BBC iPlayer.
