Grace Dent and Giorgio Locatelli for Celebrity MasterChef / BBC
Legendary Italian chef Giorgio Locatelli has joined Celebrity MasterChef as a new judge alongside Grace Dent, it has been announced.
The 63-year-old ran the Michelin-starred London restaurant Locanda Locatelli, which closed last year, and has been a judge on MasterChef Italia for the last eight years.
Irish chef Anna Haugh is the new presenter of the main MasterChef series alongside Dent, having replaced the sacked John Torode, but food critic Dent has a new partner for the celeb spinoff.
“Hosting Celebrity MasterChef alongside Grace is a real honour,” Locatelli said in a statement. “I can’t wait for you to see what our celebrity contestants bring to the kitchen, as we are really putting their culinary skills to the test in this series.”
Dent added: “Giorgio Locatelli is a fabulous addition to our UK Celebrity MasterChef team. I’m a long-time admirer of his work and was a huge fan of Locanda Locatelli; for many years, it was one of my happy places to eat.
“I couldn’t be happier to combine our shared joy, passion, and expertise for food. I also love an opportunity to serve up a heavy dose of glamour in the MasterChef kitchen, and I have a feeling Giorgio is going to give me a real run for my money.”
The new series was filmed in Birmingham earlier this year and will air on BBC One and iPlayer this summer.
