John Torode and Grace Dent for Celebrity MasterChef S20 / BBC
The BBC is reportedly poised to name Grace Dent as the permanent replacement for Gregg Wallace on MasterChef.
Wallace stepped aside from his role as host on the long-running cookery franchise last November amid a wave of allegations about his workplace behaviour – and following an investigation, the BBC has now officially let him go.
Food critic and regular MasterChef judge Dent stepped in alongside John Torode for this year’s edition of Celebrity MasterChef, which was filmed in the spring, while Wallace’s future was still up in the air.
According to The Sun, however, the BBC was impressed with her performance and she has now been offered the role on the main MasterChef series too.
“Grace is a natural fit for the show as she is also hosting Celebrity MasterChef alongside John,” a source told the newspaper.
“Grace loves to support up-and-coming talent in the industry and loves the format of the show.
“Filming is expected to start at the end of the summer through December. They are also filming at new studios in Birmingham so it will be a fresh start all round.”
The status of the judging situation on MasterChef: The Professionals, which Wallace hosted with Monica Galetti and Marcus Wareing, remains unclear.
The BBC has yet to make a decision on how to proceed with the most recent series of MasterChef, which featured Wallace but has still yet to air.
