Come Dine With Me: Who are the Paralympians competing in this week’s show?

Come Dine With Me Paralympics Special contestants are battling it out in the kitchen this week (Picture: PA)

Over the years, Come Dine With Me has provided endless entertainment with whacky contestants, dramatic feuds and iconic moments.

While it’s hard to believe the show has aired for over 15 years, fans of the cooking competition series remain loyal – even after 45 series.

The show sees a group of strangers or well-known famous faces whip up meals in a bid to win a prize, with each meal scored by other contestants.

This week, viewers will be treated to a Paralympics Special of the Channel 4 show ahead of the start of the Tokyo 2020 Games kicking off later this month.

Here’s all you need to know about this week’s cast.

When is the Channel 4 Come Dine With Me Paralympics special airing?

The Come Dine With Me Paralympics special airs all week, from Monday August 16 to Friday 20 August 2021.

The episodes will begin at 5pm and last for 30 minutes, meaning the show will end at 5:30pm.

Who are the Paralympians competing in the Paralympics special?

Natasha Baker, Chris Skelley, Arthur Williams, Amy Conroy and Liz Johnson are competing to win £1,000 that will be donated to a charity of their choice.

The five Paralympians will take it in turns to host a three-course meal and provide entertainment.

And with the Games just weeks away, along with a whole host of achievements under their belts, we’re sure they won’t be short of conversation topics.

Natasha Baker MBE, Paralympic Equestrian Rider

British para-equestrian Natasha Baker MBE, 31, is the first of the group to be cooking up a storm for the show.

She has won a total of 11 gold medals and five silver medals at previous Paralympic games, including two gold medals at the London 2012 event.

Baker contracted the virus Transverse Myelitis at 14 months old, which left her with permanent nerve damage, loss of balance and severe weakness in her legs.

However, at nine she joined the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) and her talent and passion grew from there.

Paralympian Natasha Baker MBE will be cooking up a storm for Come Dine With Me (Picture: Alex Livesey/ Getty)

Chris Skelley, Paralympic Judoka

Current world number one in the -100kg category Chris Skelley, 28, narrowly missed out on a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and will be competing in the Team GB Judo team for the Tokyo Paralympics.

Skelley began losing his eyesight at 17 and was diagnosed with oculartanious albinism when he was 19.

While his parents encouraged him to start Judo as a child, it wasn’t until he was 19, after losing his ability to work due to his condition, that he moved to Walsall to train full time at the British Judo Centre of Excellence.

Paralympian Chris Skelley is also appearing on the Channel 4 Come Dine With Me special. (Picture: David Finch/Getty)

He’s since won two World Championship bronze medals and been crowned the European Champion.

He’s set to host the Come Dine With Me special’s second day on Tuesday evening.

And, according to British Judo: ‘The entire group are blown away by Chris’s motivation to medal in Tokyo, however his karaoke performance is memorable for entirely different reasons!’

Arthur Williams, Paralympics Presenter and Paralympic Cyclist

Arthur Williams, 35, will be behind the camera and presenting the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.

And while he’s trained for Paralympic Cycling previously with the GB cycling development squad, Williams was previously a Royal Marine.

He was paralysed from the waist down following a severe car crash in 2007, and briefly returned to the Royal Marines, but left in 2009.

The presenter then began rebuilding his life and focused on working in the media. He has since presented and created a range of documentaries, been named by Bafta as a ‘Break Through Brit’ and presented the London Paralympic Games 2012.

However, he’ll be competing for first place on Come Dine With Me on Wednesday and is set to serve up an international menu.

Amy Conroy, Wheelchair Basketball

Amy Conroy, 28, has competed as a Paralympian in Wheelchair Basketball at two previous Olympic games, London 2012 and Rio 2016.

While she’s yet to win a Paralympic medal, she’s scored Silver and Bronze medals at European and World Championships previously.

Conroy was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a bone cancer, and lost her leg due to it when she was 12.

She fell in love with Wheelchair Basketball after watching a professional match and made her international debut at the 2010 BT Paralympic World Cup.

On Thursday, you’ll see her in fancy dress as she competes for the top spot in Come Dine With Me.

Wheelchair Basketball Paralympian Amy Conroy is donning fancy dress for her night of hosting. (Picture: Jamie McDonald/Getty)

Liz Johnson, Paralympic Swimmer

Former British Paralympic Swimmer Liz Johnson, 35, has previously won gold at the Beijing Paralympics in 2008.

She has Cerebral Palsy and was encouraged to begin swimming at the age of three to help with it.

By 14, Johnson was competing at national level and made the British team soon after. She fulfilled her dream of winning gold at the 2008 Paralympics despite her mother passing away during the Games.

The talented swimmer then retired from the team and became an entrepreneur, founding an employment agency staffed solely by people with impairments.

She’ll be hosting the final night of the Come Dine With Me Paralympics Special.

Tune in to enjoy watching the Paralympians swapping the stadium for the kitchen as they battle it out to win.

MORE : How to host your own Come Dine with Me party at home

MORE : When are new episodes of Come Dine with Me airing?

MORE : When do the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics begin?

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