‘A real honour’ - Giorgio Locatelli joins Celebrity MasterChef as judge
Chef Giorgio Locatelli, who ran Michelin-starred Locanda Locatelli, has been confirmed as the newest judge on Celebrity MasterChef.
Giorgio will join award-winning journalist and food critic Grace Dent on the judging panel for the new series, which returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this summer.
The series has been filmed at Digbeth Loc. Studios in Birmingham and will see a new line-up of celebrities taking on the challenge of cooking in the MasterChef kitchen.
Giorgio said: “Hosting Celebrity MasterChef alongside Grace is a real honour.
"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.”
A major chef appointment for Celebrity MasterChef
The appointment brings one of the UK’s best-known Italian chefs into a leading role on the BBC’s celebrity cooking format.
Giorgio is already familiar with the MasterChef brand, having appeared as a judge on MasterChef Italia since 2018.
His career spans more than four decades and includes Michelin-starred restaurants, cookery books and television work across the UK and Italy.
Giorgio earned his first Michelin star at Zafferano in 1999, before opening Locanda Locatelli with his wife Plaxy Locatelli in 2002.
The Marylebone restaurant became one of London’s most influential Italian restaurants and retained its Michelin star for more than 20 years, before closing in early 2025.
At the time of the closure, Locanda Locatelli had described the decision as “heartbreaking”, marking the end of a major chapter in London’s restaurant scene.
Giorgio has also become a familiar face on television, hosting programmes including Italy Unpacked and Sicily Unpacked for BBC Two.
His move to Celebrity MasterChef comes as the programme continues to evolve its judging line-up, with Grace also confirmed for this year’s series.
Grace Dent praises Giorgio Locatelli appointment
Grace said: “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.”
Leon Wilson, CEO of Shine TV and Zeppotron, said Giorgio’s appointment was “a huge coup” for the series.
He said: “I’m delighted to welcome Giorgio onboard. He is a genuinely world-class superstar chef and it’s a huge coup to have signed him up.
“With his signature charm, generosity and energy Giorgio is perfect for Celebrity MasterChef and he’ll be a real treat for viewers.”
BBC: ‘Viewers can expect a truly delicious series’
Kalpna Patel-Knight, head of entertainment commissioning at the BBC, said Giorgio and Grace would bring both expertise and energy to the programme.
Kalpna said: “Giorgio’s culinary expertise, Michelin-starred pedigree, and serious passion for food, coupled with the dynamism that both him and Grace bring to the screen, putting the celebrities through their culinary paces, is not one to be missed. Viewers can expect a truly delicious series.”
Celebrity MasterChef will return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this summer, with the celebrity contestants to be announced in due course.
This is the latest change to the judging panel, which has been shaken up since the departures of long-serving Gregg Wallace and John Torode, with the likes of Matt Tebbutt and Anna Haugh also filling roles across the franchise in the past year.
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‘A real honour’ - Giorgio Locatelli joins Celebrity MasterChef as judge
