Published: 18 November 2025
Celebrity MasterChef continues BBC One and BBC iPlayer with its 20th series, recorded earlier in the year with new 2025 judge Grace Dent and John Torode.
The MasterChef kitchen doors are open for a glittering line-up of 15 celebrities from the worlds of music, drama, comedy, sport and showbiz – all with the aim of cooking their way to becoming Celebrity MasterChef 2025 Champion.
The second Heat week is here, and the stars aiming to lay claim to the the iconic Celebrity MasterChef trophy are TV personality Chris Hughes, author and broadcaster Dawn O’Porter, soul legend Jaki Graham, actor Jamie Lomas, and pop star Michelle Heaton.
For more information about their challenges, please seen end of press pack for this week’s billings.
LP/CQ
Meet the Celebrities
Chris Hughes
TV Personality
What made you want to do Celebrity MasterChef?
I wanted to do Celebrity MasterChef because I love to challenge myself in new things, and cooking is an area of expertise that I want to improve in all the time. I think cooking is fun. You can do it for your friends, your family, your other half!
What was it like walking into the MasterChef kitchen for the first time?
Honestly, the nerves of walking into that kitchen were horrendous! It was like crippling anxiety. It was like first day at school vibes, where you’re trying to make friends. It was great when we started cooking, because then you just focus, the nerves and anxiety go away.
What is your favourite dish to cook vs. your favourite to eat?
My favourite dish to eat is a chicken and chorizo pasta, which I make. I get all the red pesto double cream in there, spring onions, it’s so nice. My favourite dish to cook would probably be a full English. I love sausage, bacon, eggs, tinned tomatoes. I fry my bread. And I have black pudding too. It’s not quite the same as cooking, but you’ve still got to heat them up! I have fried breakfast pretty much every day.
What is your ultimate comfort food and why?
I love Mexican food, whether it’s a taco, an enchilada, whatever it may be. I love chicken so much and you get a lot of it in Mexican food. I love avocado and the various sauces you can have, and the guacamole and soured cream.
How does your cooking go down with friends and family?
My family and friends genuinely think I can’t cook. So it’d be nice if I can prove them wrong whilst on the show. I’m notorious amongst my friends for cooking breakfast, cause if anyone’s cooking full English it would be me, but that’s about as far as it goes. I don’t really cook for my family much. It’s nice to go home and get treated and cooked for.
Dawn O’Porter
Author & Broadcaster
What made you want to do Celebrity MasterChef?
I wanted to do Celebrity MasterChef because I love cooking. I’m either writing or cooking, so it’s just really nice to get away from my desk for a bit be around other people. Most of the time I’m on my own, it’s quite intense! So I thought if I do MasterChef, I’ll do the other thing that I love and get to be a little bit sociable.
What was it like walking into the MasterChef kitchen for the first time?
It felt weird to walk into the MasterChef kitchen for the first time, because I’ve watched the show a lot, and there’s a lot of tension and drama in the show, so I kept imagining that being me! Also, I don’t think I’ve been in a position like this since I was at school, where I’ve had to produce a piece of work and have a one-on-one critique. I wasn’t very good at school, and so that makes me feel very nervous.
What is your favourite dish to cook vs. your favourite to eat?
Sunday roast is my favourite thing to cook. I love the challenge of having to get it all out on time, hot and all the different elements to it. I either cook it on a Sunday or we go to the pub, and it’s a real ritual for me, and even when I lived in America for 16 years, trying to do a roast or some sort of sit-down meal and pull people together every Sunday. Roast potatoes, especially, I want them scattered on my grave!
What is your ultimate comfort food and why?
My ultimate comfort food is probably a Sunday roast or just anything salty and garlicky and carbs. I really love carbohydrates, and if they’ve got salt and garlic on them, then I’m happy. Another is chips and garlic mayonnaise. My kids know that that’s my favourite food, they always say “on your birthday, we’ll make you chips.”
How does your cooking go down with friends and family?
There are different palates and preferences in my household, so I have to really work hard at family meals, which, for me, is a pleasure, but it means I can’t just chuck anything on the table. My youngest Valentine has just been so in love with me doing Celebrity MasterChef that recently he’s like, mummy, I’ve got some feedback: “I think if you cook this on MasterChef, you have to add more salt, or it has to be more crispy!”
Jaki Graham
Soul Legend
What made you want to do Celebrity MasterChef?
I wanted to do Celebrity MasterChef because it’s the 40th anniversary of my debut album, so it’s a special year! I wanted to get involved in some new adventures and I’ve come here to learn.
What was it like walking into the MasterChef kitchen for the first time?
I was kind of nervous walking into the kitchen for the first time. I must admit, I had sleepless nights once I knew that I was coming to do this!
What is your favourite dish to cook vs. your favourite to eat?
I like cooking (and eating) Jamaican cuisine. We like our rice and peas and chicken, darling! That’s my favourite.
What is your ultimate comfort food and why?
I’ve got a sweet tooth so I like puddings – they’re so comforting. I have a yearning for tiramisu at the moment, so it would be between that and creme brulée.
How does your cooking go down with friends and family?
They’re still living, that’s all I can say! My hubby thinks I can do no wrong, so he really likes my food. The kids love it too and mum’s chicken or dumplings are still family favourites.
Jamie Lomas
Actor
What made you want to do Celebrity MasterChef?
I entered celebrity MasterChef firstly because of my partner, Jess. She pushed me into doing it because she wants me to cook more at home. Secondly, I just wanted to learn how to cook properly and grow and see how far I can get in the competition.
What was it like walking into the MasterChef kitchen for the first time?
It’s really nerve wracking. Meeting John and Grace and knowing that they’re going to be judging your food is something!
What is your favourite dish to cook vs. your favourite to eat?
I really enjoy cooking butter chicken. But I think my favourite dish to eat would have to be a dessert. Something like an apple and blackberry crumble with vanilla custard, or a pineapple upside down cake.
What is your ultimate comfort food and why?
I think anything that’s hearty. I love beef stroganoff, that’s my favourite. I’m a bit of a creature of habit so if I like something, I have it all the time. At home my menu is pretty much limited to steak and eggs.
How does your cooking go down with friends and family?
My partner, Jess, is super impressed with my cooking so far as I’ve been practising. She’s really proud of me. My family think I’m mad doing this, because obviously they’ve never really seen me cook. So it’s a mixed bag of emotions and feelings and thoughts!
Michelle Heaton
Pop Star
What made you want to do Celebrity MasterChef?
I’ve always been really intrigued about coming on the show because at home I don’t get to cook the way that you can in the Celebrity MasterChef kitchen. I’ve also noticed that the last few years, my family haven’t been coming together for meals. I think it’s the same with many families, because you’re just always running around!
So I want to bring it back to basics and focus on creating meals that adults and kids will enjoy together.
I want to learn how to create the right tastes to enjoy food in the way that it should be. Not just food for fuel, you know, it’s for the heart, for soul and for family.
What was it like walking into the MasterChef kitchen for the first time?
When you first walk into the MasterChef kitchen you realise how it’s very big! It’s big and it’s spotless. I keep my kitchen clean, but with the dogs and the kids and the husband it’s challenging. I found that there was just lots of everything – ingredients that I can’t even describe. I feel like I’m taking it all in now, I will never get the right name for all the ingredients, but I’m learning slowly!
What is your favourite dish to cook vs. your favourite to eat?
I like to make things like oats and yoghurts and berries and stuff, because I don’t have a lot of time to cook actual food for myself. I usually whip stuff together with whatever’s in the cupboard or fridge. I do like a bit of pasta, if I was going to spend time on something, it would be a bit of pasta and seafood, but that’s about once a year! My favourite food to eat has to be fish. I love sashimi.
What is your ultimate comfort food and why?
Anything sugary is great comfort food. I love anything sweet.
How does your cooking go down with friends and family?
My daughter, who’s 13, laughed when I told her I was coming on to Celebrity MasterChef! She said to wish everybody luck who was tasting my food!
My little boy was so proud that I was doing something that I was excited about and my husband, Hugh, didn’t know what to think! I cook for him every night. He’s massively into fitness, so his evening meals look very different to what you’d find on MasterChef.
