Grace Dent has been confirmed as the successor to Gregg Wallace on the BBC’s Celebrity MasterChef, following Wallace’s departure from the program last month.
The long-serving MasterChef host Wallace is currently facing accusations of inappropriate conduct from over a dozen individuals spanning a 17-year timeframe across various shows.
The BBC has officially revealed that restaurant critic Dent will join regular MasterChef presenter John Torode as a judge for the upcoming 20th season of the culinary competition.
So, who is Grace Dent and how has her professional journey unfolded until this point?
Critic, author, and I’m a Celeb participant
The 51-year-old Dent is a distinguished journalist, columnist, author, and broadcaster, who has frequently made guest appearances on MasterChef and participated in MasterChef: Battle Of The Critics last year.
Dent with fellow Celebrity MasterChef host John Torode. Pic: BBC/Shine TV
Her journalistic journey commenced in 1996, when she served as an editorial assistant at the lifestyle publication Marie Claire.
Initially, her goal was not to become a food critic, she revealed to SheerLuxe in an interview, but rather to work as a columnist.
However, she quickly discovered her ideal niche in food, eventually securing her own column for the London Evening Standard, entitled Grace & Flavour, before becoming The Guardian’s food critic in 2017.
Dent, recognized for her candid and forthright style, has developed her career into that of a multimedia gastronomic expert, authoring 12 books, making appearances on television, and producing and hosting documentaries for Sky Atlantic and Channel 4.
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She also hosts her own podcast, Comfort Eating with Grace Dent, where she engages with celebrities discussing their relationship with food.
Dent has established herself as a well-recognized figure on television and a prominent voice in the media – so much so that she participated in the cast of I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! last year, before leaving the ITV reality series prematurely on medical grounds.
‘More than a dream to me’
Upon being announced as Wallace’s replacement, Dent expressed: “I’ve been a fan of MasterChef since I was a child, watching it with my dad on the couch. My entire family tunes in. It’s all about discovering and promoting talent – and to find myself in this role feels more than just a dream.
“I’m so thrilled that I can’t eat, which poses a significant challenge for a restaurant critic. I consider myself fortunate to take over for the next Celebrity MasterChef. I’m eager to meet the new celebrity contestants for 2025.”
Her co-host Torode remarked: “Working with Grace on MasterChef has been a delight over the years. She has been a brilliant guest, a motivating critic, and has set some remarkable challenges. MasterChef is all about expertise, from the contestants to our fantastic production team, to us as judges.
“A passion for food, a love for MasterChef, and that undeniable expertise make Grace the ideal individual to join me as a judge for the upcoming Celebrity MasterChef series.”
MasterChef executive editor David Ambler praised Dent’s “expertise,” highlighting her “wit and finely-tuned palate.”
Kalpna Patel-Knight, BBC’s head of entertainment, remarked that the “dynamic” Dent is the “ideal selection”.
