The writer Grace Dent has been named as Gregg Wallace’s replacement on MasterChef.
Dent will join presenter John Torode for the show’s 20th season, having appeared as a guest judge in previous series.
Her predecessor, Wallace, stepped down last month after allegations of inappropriate behaviour from more than a dozen people came to light.
Dent, a former contestant on I’m a Celebrity, said she has been a fan of the BBC’s flagship cooking show for many years.
“I've been watching MasterChef since I was a girl sitting with my dad on the sofa,” she said.
“My whole family watches it. It's all about uncovering and championing talent and to have ended up in this position is more than a dream to me.”
She added: “I'm so excited that I can't eat, which is severely detrimental to a restaurant critic. I feel very lucky to be stepping in for the next Celebrity MasterChef. I can't wait to meet the fresh celebrity faces for 2025.”
Torode, who worked at the likes of Quaglino’s and Pont de La Tour before beginning a long broadcasting career, called Dent an “inspiring critic”.
He said: “I have loved working with Grace on MasterChef over the years. She has been an excellent guest, an inspiring critic and also set some incredible challenges. Expertise is what MasterChef is all about, from the contestants to our wonderful production team, to us as judges.
“The love of food, the love of MasterChef, and that unquestionable expertise, makes Grace the perfect person to step in alongside me as judge for the forthcoming Celebrity MasterChef series.”
MasterChef executive editor David Ambler also praised Dent's “expertise”, while Kalpna Patel-Knight, head of entertainment at the BBC, called her the “perfect choice”. Dent was the restaurant critic for ES Magazine between 2011 and 2017.
