Angellica Bell serves offer to co-host Celebrity MasterChef with Grace Dent
Angellica Bell would jump at the chance of co-hosting Celebrity MasterChef with Grace Dent because she loved her experience when she won the show in 2017.
Angellica Bell would co-host Celebrity MasterChef with Grace Dent.
The 49-year-old TV presenter is up for throwing her name into the ring to present the BBC cookery show with the 51-year-old restaurant critic - who replaced Gregg Wallace, 60, in December after he stepped down a month beforehand, amidst an investigation into inappropriate behaviour - because she loved her experience on the programme in 2017, which she won.
Angellica exclusively told BANG Showbiz at the Educating Yorkshire series two launch party at Pimlico Academy, London, on Wednesday (27.08.25): "Celebrity MasterChef? Of course, yes - I get to eat food!"
In 2017, the broadcasting legend wowed Gregg and his former co-host 60-year-old John Torode - who, in July, was sacked as the co-presenter of all versions of MasterChef after an allegation of him using "an extremely offensive racist term" was upheld in the report by law firm Lewis Silkin, on behalf of the show's production company Banijay UK, into Gregg's alleged inappropriate behaviour.
Gregg and John - who both profusely deny the allegations against them - were wowed by Angellica's Chocolate Nightmare dessert, which involved olive oil ice cream, in a professional kitchen.
But it was her fried halibut with king prawns and a vermouth sauce that pushed her to victory.
Gregg and John also tucked into Angellica's fig and camembert starter, and her masterpiece was a pudding of a posh pear tart with an amaretto crumb - with Gregg describing it as "one of the best desserts I've ever tasted".
Reflecting on her time on Celebrity MasterChef in 2017 - in which she triumphed over fellow finalists, radio presenter Dev Griffin, 40, and TV host Ulrika Jonsson, 58, in a final cook-off - Angellica said: "I loved it.
"I mean, cooking - because my grandmother was a cook, and I spent a lot of time with her, and she didn't write any recipes, so it was quite intuitive. It just brought me back.
"If you came to my house, I would want to feed you, and it's a language of love.
"I mean, [Celebrity MasterChef] was an amazing experience, and I've still got my trophy."
And the Celebrity Big Brother 2025 housemate lauded everyone who worked on the show.
She said: "It was the whole production, the whole team - it's a well-oiled ship.
"[Celebrity MasterChef] has made stars of former contestants and allowed people to change careers and do what they want, and do what they love.
"And I think that's what's really important about Educating Yorkshire is that it allows people to shine.
"And I think all these reality [TV] shows, they give people that opportunity that they wouldn't normally have."
On July 14, a report by independent law firm Lewis Silkin, on behalf of the BBC One cookery show's production company Banijay UK, into Gregg's alleged inappropriate behaviour was released and substantiated 45 out of 83 allegations, including claims of inappropriate sexual language, humour, and one alleged incident of "unwelcome physical contact" by Gregg.
Despite Gregg having insisted he has been "cleared of the most serious and sensational accusations" made against him, the BBC said it had "no plans to work" with him again.
The report also upheld an allegation of an "extremely offensive racist term being used in the workplace", which John later identified himself as the individual alleged to have used racist language in 2018 or 2019, "for the sake of transparency" in an Instagram post.
On July 15, the corporation announced that John's contract would not be renewed.
Angellica hosted the Q+A session at the Educating Yorkshire series two launch party at Pimlico Academy, London, on Wednesday (27.08.25).
Educating Yorkshire is available to watch and stream on Channel 4 at 8pm on Sunday, August 31.
