John Torode thrilled as ‘perfect person’ replaces Gregg Wallace on MasterChef-Meghna Amin-Entertainment – Metro

Gregg Wallace’s MasterChef replacement has been confirmed (Picture: BBC/Shine TV)

Grace Dent will judge the next series of Celebrity MasterChef alongside John Torode, it has been announced.

Dent, 51, will judge the upcoming 20th series of Celebrity MasterChef following news last month that Gregg Wallace will step away from the role amid an external review into historical allegations of misconduct.

Author and podcaster Dent has appeared regularly as a guest on MasterChef, and last year was a contestant on MasterChef: Battle Of The Critics.

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.

‘I can’t wait to meet the fresh celebrity faces for 2025.’

It had been rumoured the likes of James Martin, Angela Hartnett, or Torode’s wife Lisa Faulkner could be replacing Wallace, though Dent stood at odds of 2/1 to join the programme.

Grace Dent will be stepping in (Picture: BBC)

The food critic was called the ‘perfect person’ for the role (Picture: David Hartley/Shutterstock)

Torode, who presented MasterChef since 2005 alongside Wallace, 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.

‘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.’

Torode previously put out a statement over the allegations against Wallace (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

He had earlier put out a statement over the allegations against Wallace, saying he would not comment further on the allegations while the investigation continues, but stressing how much he loves MasterChef.

‘I love my job, and I love MasterChef. I love being part of it and will continue to be part of it,’ he said.

Wallace faces accusations of making ‘inappropriate sexual jokes’ and lewd comments on set, asking for the phone numbers of female members of production staff, and undressing in front of and standing ‘too close’ to women working on his shows.

Further allegations claim he groped three people in different incidents, that he ‘mimicked sex acts’ and walked around the studio almost ‘completely naked’, with more than 13 people across a range of shows over a 17-year-period making complaints.

It’s also claimed that he sexually harassed his ghost-writer with ‘thigh rubs’, while several women have spoken out, including Ulrika Jonsson and Kirsty Wark.

Wallace has fiercely denied the allegations (Picture: BBC)

Wallace and his lawyers have fiercely denied the allegations, saying ‘it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature’.

Last year, Dent was part of the line-up for ITV’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, but left the show early for medical reasons. She writes a restaurant review column for The Guardian and hosts celebrity food podcast Comfort Eating.

Her book Comfort Eating: What We Eat When Nobody’s Looking was published last year, with her memoir Hungry published in 2020.

Kalpna Patel-Knight, the BBC’s head of entertainment, said: ‘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.’

Grace appeared on I’m A Celebrity last year (Picture: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

The most recent series of MasterChef: The Professionals continued to air amid a storm of allegations against Wallace, with two MasterChef celebrity Christmas specials, a Celebrity MasterChef Christmas Cook Off and a Strictly Festive Extravaganza, pulled from the BBC’s festive schedule.

This comes after claims that Wallace reportedly ‘knows his time on the show is over’ amid the investigation, and ‘expects to be sacked’ regardless.

‘Gregg’s conceded he has lost everything. To put it bluntly, he’s told people, “I’m f***ed”,’ a source told The Sun.

‘He came out swinging, but he has quietly conceded that he knows his time on MasterChef is over and that he will be stepping aside.

This comes after reports Wallace ‘conceded he has lost everything’ (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

‘He has contested the sexual allegations and insisted any jokes he made were just jokes. He said he never meant to cause any offence.’

They added: ‘Gregg has been under a huge amount of pressure since the allegations came to light and tried his best to fight his corner.’

The insider added that as much as it ‘pained’ Wallace, he ‘knows the time will come when he has to step aside… it seems he has come to terms with it’.

A source meanwhile told MailOnline that Wallace ‘accepted his TV career is basically at an end’ and was being ‘quite reflective and pragmatic’ about the investigation.

MasterChef is available to watch on BBC iPlayer, while Celebrity MasterChef returns in 2025.

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