Grace Dent 'drunk on power' with Celebrity MasterChef 'baddie' role

Grace Dent said she has to play the 'baddie' now on Celebrity MasterChef by sending home the stars each week.

Grace Dent is presenting Celebrity MasterChef. (ITV screengrab)
Grace Dent is presenting Celebrity MasterChef. (ITV screengrab)

Grace Dent has said she is "drunk on power" after accepting MasterChef Celebrity job, where she admitted she will now play the "baddie" in sending people home. But being the show's 'villain' isn't something she enjoys.

The food critic, 51, appeared on This Morning with Cat Deeley and Ben Shepherd to discuss her shiny new TV job on Celebrity MasterChef — having taken over from Gregg Wallace.

Wallace has stepped aside from MasterChef after complaints to the BBC from 13 people, including Newsnight host Kirsty Wark who accused him of inappropriate sexual comments during filming. Wallace's lawyers have been quoted by BBC as saying: "It is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature." More celebrities, including Penny Lancaster, have spoken out since the news broke.

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With a wealth of experience in the food circles, it's no surprise Dent was asked to step into the hosting role alongside John Torode on Celebrity MasterChef amid the investigation. Over the years she has been a familiar face on MasterChef as a guest judge and last year competed on MasterChef: Battle Of The Critics.

Read more: What we know as Grace Dent replaces Gregg Wallace on Celebrity MasterChef

Grace Dent is taking over from Gregg Wallace who has stepped aside from MasterChef. (BBC)
Grace Dent is taking over from Gregg Wallace who has stepped aside from MasterChef. (BBC)

"I'm absolutely over the moon," she said on This Morning of accepting the role. "I'm already drunk on power!" Dent had the presenters laughing.

Only for "10 seconds" did she worry about taking on the big role within the franchise. Dent concluded: "But now I have those reigns." Clearly excited to be a part of Celebrity MasterChef in a big way, Dent hailed it as a "dream come true".

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Dent said: "Look you are absolutely right, it's one of the most wonderful shows on British TV. When you go out into public, you feel that warmth. You can't eat anywhere in privacy ever again or even go into your supermarket without people looking into your trolley.

Grace Dent pictured in her new role on Celebrity MasterChef.
Grace Dent pictured in her new role on Celebrity MasterChef. (BBC)

"So it is lovely. It's a dream come true to move to this role. It's a very different role. Now I've got a lot, before now it was judging. I was never the person who had to look them in the eye and send them home. Now I am that person. Now I am the baddie."

Although Dent is delighted to step up to the role, she confessed she doesn't enjoy being the villain of the show — whether that's sending someone home from the show or writing a bad review. "I don't enjoy doing that," she explained.

"I think people think I go out for dinner and want it to be bad to write horrible things, I absolutely don't. I want the best for these people. Sending people home is horrible."

Grace Dent appeared on I'm a Celebrity in 2023. (ITV)
Grace Dent appeared on I'm a Celebrity in 2023. (ITV)

While reality TV can get a bad reputation for being scripted, Dent — who previously starred on I'm a Celebrity — wanted to clear up that it couldn't be further from the truth when it came to Celebrity MasterChef. The food expert shared her admiration for those taking part as she said the celebrities taking part are driven to win.

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She said: "People think with reality TV that it's all a bit fake. People don't care if they go home. But no. Especially with Celebrity MasterChef. Once people have been in that show and cooked twice in that kitchen they've got their eye on the prize, they are sleepless, they've done nothing but think about soufflé for 17 nights in a row. They want to win."

John Torode has presented MasterChef since 2005. (BBC)
John Torode has presented MasterChef since 2005. (BBC)

When it was made public that Dent was going to replace Wallace on MasterChef, Torode — who has presented the BBC show since 2005 — shared his support.

He 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.

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"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."

This Morning airs on ITV1 and ITVX Monday-Friday from 10am.