Gregg Wallace's MasterChef replacement admits 'I'm drunk on power'
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Food critic Grace Dent has described becoming a judge on Celebrity MasterChef as a “dream come true” after Gregg Wallace stepped down following an external review. The 51-year-old author and podcaster, who has frequently appeared as a guest on the show, will join John Torode as a judge for the upcoming 20th series of the celebrity edition. This follows a number of complaints against Wallace after it was revealed in November that historical misconduct allegations are being reviewed by the show’s production company, Banijay UK.
Speaking on ITV’s This Morning about her new role, Dent said: “I am absolutely over the moon. Honestly, I’m already drunk on power.”. The critic said she may have had some worries about it for “10 seconds” but they have gone now she has taken over the reins. “It’s one of the most wonderful shows on British TV and, when you go out into the public, you feel that warmth,” she said. “You can’t eat anywhere in privacy ever again. You can’t even go into a supermarket without people looking in your trolley (saying) ‘I can’t believe she’s bought that’.
“So it is lovely. It was a dream come true to move to this role, and it’s a very different role, because now I’ve got a lot.” In her previous role on the show, she provided feedback on the contestants' cooking but did not have the responsibility of eliminating anyone.
“Now I am that person. Now I am the baddie, and I don’t enjoy doing that,” she said. “I think that people think that I go out for dinner and want it to be bad so that I can write horrible things. I absolutely don’t. I want the best for these people, and sending people home is horrible.”.
