Who is in the Celebrity MasterChef 2024 final?

Craig Doyle, Rochenda Sandall and Vito Coppola are battling to win the BBC cooking contest

Celebrity MasterChef judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace
Celebrity MasterChef judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace. (BBC)

After six weeks of intense kitchen drama, Celebrity MasterChef 2024’s celebrity hopefuls have been boiled down to just three remaining contestants — but who are they?

It’s been a gruelling competition so far that has seen celebrities like Edith Bowman, Chloe Burrows, Dominic Skinner and Eshaan Akbar chop, fry and sauté their way through each high-stakes round, all with an eye on impressing the show’s expert judging panel of John Torode and Gregg Wallace.

Now, we’re down to the grand finale with just a trio of celebs remaining. For their ultimate task, each will have to dazzle and delight the judges by whipping up their Ultimate Dinner Party Menu consisting of two courses, a main and a desert — each of which must be immaculately cooked and presented. No pressure then, eh?

CWith the Celebrity MasterChef 2024 grand finale set to air at 9pm on Friday, 20 September on BBC One and iPlayer, it's probably a good time to find out who’ll be competing...

Craig Doyle on Celebrity MasterChef 2024
This Morning host Craig Doyle has made it to the Celebrity MasterChef 2024 final. (BBC)

This Morning presenter Craig Doyle didn’t think he’d make it this far through the competition but now that he finds himself in the final, he’s in it to win it. “You just want more and more — so making it to the end is just amazing,” he smiles. “To be honest I’ve forgotten what life was life before MasterChef. It’s like, this is what I do now.”

That said, he still has some apprehension about entering the final heat: “Everything needs to be perfect. I rarely get it all right and my menu has so much in it, so many elements and different skills and techniques required,” he says. “It’s my biggest challenge yet.”

Regardless of who wins, Doyle believes joining the show has added to his skillset “I have always used cooking as a way of escaping stress and my own head when things get too busy in there. I have terrible problems focusing and concentrating,” admits the star, “but in the kitchen I go into a really calm happy place.”

Rochenda Sandall on Celebrity MasterChef 2024
Small Axe actor Rochenda Sandall into the final three. (BBC)

Small Axe star Rochenda Sandall only had one goal when entering Celebrity MasterChef 2024 — don’t leave first. Having completed this milestone, she readily admits that “getting anywhere after that was a bonus!”

For her, the biggest challenge of the series so far has been the time constraints but when it comes to the final, she knows she’s in good company. “Vito... his ingredients are some that I had never seen before and he’s an absolutely fabulous baker,” she says. “Craig is such a hearty cook, his food is always so full of flavour and makes you want to go back for seconds and thirds.”

With this in mind, she’s not worrying too much about coming out on top: “Now I’ve got to the final three I’m so happy for everyone. We should all be proud of ourselves. We’ve learnt and achieved so much in such a short amount of time. To top it all off everyone has been fabulous — on and off screen.”

Vito Coppola

Vito Coppola on Celebrity MasterChef 2024
Will Strictly pro dancer Vito Coppola win Celebrity MasterChef 2024? (BBC)

Strictly Come Dancing pro Vito Coppola is still in disbelief at being in the Celebrity MasterChef 2024 final: “Being here just doesn’t feel real,” he says. “I have constantly to pinch myself! I am so, so grateful!”

The dancer is convinced that his time in the MasterChef kitchen has helped him to grow as a person. “It pushed me completely out from my comfort zone and brought much more confidence,” adds Coppola. “Food is for me the biggest pleasure in life, but MasterChef is not just about cooking. It’s a proper experience and travel, where I had the possibility to discover myself, test myself, challenge myself and mostly be proud of myself.”

According to Coppola, whatever happens next is a bonus. “I will forever be thankful to MasterChef giving me the possibility to appreciate and learn to love myself more.”


The Celebrity MasterChef 2024 final airs at 9pm on Friday, 20 September on BBC One and iPlayer.