Matt Campbell death: MasterChef star dies after collapsing during London Marathon 2018 amid record temperatures

A MasterChef star died after collapsing during the hottest London Marathon on record.

Matt Campbell, 29, a professional chef from the Lake District, collapsed at the 22.5 mile mark and was treated at the scene by doctors.

He was taken to Barts Heart Centre but was later pronounced dead. His cause of death was not immediately clear.

Mr Campbell was a well-known chef who reached the semi-finals of the BBC's MasterChef: The Professionals last December.

A fundraising page he set up before the race has raised £10,000 in an hour and a half since his death was announced.

The chef posted a picture of him with friend Tom Peters in their running kits on Twitter on Sunday morning. Mr Peters said today: “It’s just awful, truly shocking.”

Mr Campbell's family paid tribute to an “inspirational son and brother, who was a keen marathon runner”.

Earlier this month he had completed the Manchester Marathon in under three hours.

MasterChef paid tribute to Mr Campbell, saying it was a "privilege" to have him compete on the show.

A spokeswoman said in a statement: "We are shocked and saddened to hear the news about Matt Campbell, one of our talented contestants from last year.

"It was a privilege to have him on the show. He will always be remembered for producing for some of the most innovative and groundbreaking food that we saw on the series.

"From the whole MasterChef team, our sincere condolences and thoughts are with his family and friends."

A spokesman for the London Marathon said: "With deep sadness, we confirm the death of a participant in the 2018 Virgin Money London Marathon.

"Everyone involved in the organisation of the London Marathon would like to express our sincere condolences to Matt’s family and friends."

Mr Campbell was raising money for The Brathay Trust, which works with vulnerable young people. He wrote on his fundraising page of the loss of his father: “The past year and a half have been the toughest of my life but his spirit and energy live on in me.”

He started his career in Michelin-starred kitchens and finished second on BBC Young Chef of the Year, aged 20, in 2009.

On his website he had announced a UK roadshow for this year, was planning a cookbook and was set to film for a TV pilot.

The temperature at St James’s Park reached 24.1C, the highest since the Marathon was first run in 1981. About 100 runners were taken to hospital to be treated for serious heat-related conditions.

The Marathon’s medical chief, Professor Sanjay Sharma, has spoken of his team’s battle to treat “very seriously ill” runners who collapsed.

Mr Campbell's fundraising page can viewed here.