John Torode and Lisa Faulkner returned to ITV this weekend for a festive special of their cooking show John and Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen – and the couple opened up on family life
MasterChef host John Torode got real about family tensions during his conversation with wife Lisa Faulkner admitting, “it really tears the family apart”.
Fans of John and Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen were treated to a Christmas special on Saturday (28 December) filled with top moments from the past year, including the couple whipping up a vegetarian lasagne for some at-home culinary inspiration. As they bantered over a game of Uno, comparing the dealing of cards to layering lasagne sheets, Lisa quipped: “I feel like you’re dealing some cards.
“We’re going to play Uno in a minute!” John chimed in with a stern observation: “No, that’s one of those games that really takes the family apart. When you get that Pick Up Four, people get really angry, don’t they?!” With a playful side-eye to the camera, Lisa humorously retorted: “They do, John, don’t they?”, only to be lightly scolded by John: “Okay, Lisa, that’s not very nice.”
This light-hearted exchange came amidst a more serious backdrop, as John broke his silence on the controversy surrounding co-judge Gregg Wallace, who exited MasterChef last month. Reflecting on the situation via Instagram, John penned: “Since last Friday, I have been away filming MasterChef overseas. I love my job, and I love MasterChef. I love being part of it and will continue to be part of it.
“During the last few days, I’ve been trying to make the best cookery programme, so being busy making the show and caring for our contestants has allowed me little time to think about anything else, but that has been hard.” With the announcement of Grace Dent as the new host for Celebrity MasterChef, John Torode expressed his excitement: “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.”
He added: “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 make Grace the perfect person to step in alongside me as a judge for the forthcoming Celebrity MasterChef series”, reports the Express.
Sharing her congratulations with Grace after hearing the news that she will be taking over from Wallace, Lisa wrote: “Go Grace!!!!!!!”. Grace, 51, had appeared on MasterChef regularly as a guest judge. She will now be a judge on the upcoming series of Celebrity MasterChef after Wallace stepped away from his BBC role amid an investigation into historical allegations of misconduct. Wallace has denied all allegations made against him and is said to be willing to co-operate with any investigation.
Following the new role announcement, she said: “I’ve been watching MasterChef since I was a girl sitting with my dad on the sofa. 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. 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.”
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