'A dream to me': Dent to take over Wallace's place as judge on Celebrity MasterChef

As the Guardian's restaurant critic she has spent an "excessive amount of time in posh restaurants, eating fancy, ornate tasting menus", but Grace Dent's new challenge will see her tasting the delights of minor stars in front of rolling cameras as the judge of Celebrity MasterChef.

- Alexandra Topping

Dent, who also hosts the Guardian's Comfort Eating podcast, will replace Gregg Wallace and work alongside John Torode, the BBC confirmed yesterday.

Wallace stepped down from the series at the end of last month while its production company, Banijay UK, investigates claims of misconduct, which he denies.

Dent, who has appeared regularly as a guest on MasterChef and was a contestant last year on MasterChef: Battle of the Critics, will judge the 20th series. She said the step up to main judge was a dream come true.

"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," she said. "I can't wait to meet the fresh celebrity faces for 2025."

Dent, whose book, Comfort Eating: What We Eat When Nobody's Looking, was published last year after the release of her memoir, Hungry, in 2020, added that she had been watching the show since she was a girl, sitting on a sofa with her late father.

"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 said.