28 December 2023 , 21:35
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Grace Dent admitted she will never 'feel the same way' about contestants ever again after taking part in a spin-off version of MasterChef.
The 50-year-old food critic, who is a regular judge on MasterChef UK, competed alongside famous critics Jay Rayner, William Sitwell, Leyla Kazim, and Jimi Famurewa to win the trophy of the BBC spin-off of the intense cooking competition.
The five critics finally felt what it's like to create incredible dishes under pressure in a short amount of time and viewers got to watch them put their blood, sweat and tears into their meaningful dishes. Although Grace is known for dining on lavish meals at five-star restaurants, she showcased her skills in making family-favourite meals.
At one point, she even broke down in tears after hearing hosts Gregg Wallace and John Torode's positive review of her butter chicken dish. She was speechless and when Gregg asked her how she was feeling, she said: "In my head, I was going to say lots of witty things here and there was going to be lots of banter but in reality, I’m just sitting here with my lip wobbling. I dunno what’s up with me."
Jay was announced as the winner of the spin-off series (BBC)Speaking to the camera after hearing the positive criticism, Grace added: "I didn’t realise how emotional I was about it all until they said that they liked my food at the end and it lifts all the pressure off you. I felt lighter and giddier and a little bit proud of myself." After a few more rounds of intense labour and anxiety-filled waiting, the critics were finally told who won this year's spin-off series.
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Popular critic and journalist Jay was announced as the winner as he quipped: "I'd like to say we're all winners but, no... Grace, Laila, Jimmy, William... Thank you very much, guys. I love you all." The other contestants took to the sofa where Grace admitted to finally 'understanding' the contestants' pain when competing.
The star, who recently took part in this year's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, said: "I will never think the same way about contestants ever again, I will now feel every moment of their pain, their journey, their exhaustion..."
Meanwhile, Grace recently hinted as to why she left the I'm A Celeb camp after ten days due to medical grounds. On ITV's spin-off show I'm A Celebrity Coming Out, which follows the journey of all the campmates, she hinted that she found the lack of control, having nowhere to hide and living with "divisive characters", too much to handle.
On the show, Grace said: "Leaving my campmates and the girls will be the greatest regret of my life." But a show insider told The Sun: "Grace also tells how she found it hard being in camp with people who under normal circumstances, she wouldn't share a sleeping space with - and that includes divisive characters like Nigel."