Celebrity MasterChef winners: All the famous faces who’ve won – from Matt Dawson to Strictly’s Vito Copolla
The Celebrity MasterChef semi-finals are upon us, with nine remaining celebs from this year’s line-up taking to the kitchen this week for another set of culinary challenges.
The 20th series started on Monday 17th November and saw 15 celebs stepping up to the plate – from Love Island’s Chris Hughes to actress Katie McGlynn and more.
They’ll be hoping to follow in the footsteps of last year’s winner, Strictly Come Dancing pro Vito Coppola who impressed judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace in the 19th season.
The year before that, Welsh opera singer Wynne Evans beat the likes of Luca Bish and Danny Dyer.
As the 20th series continues – and we get closer to finding out who this year’s champ is – here’s a look back at all the winners from the first series back in 2006 all the way to last year.
Celebrity MasterChef winners
Matt Dawson – 2006
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Retired rugby player Matt Dawson was the first ever winner of Celebrity MasterChef back in 2006.
Dawson played scrum half for Northampton Saints and then London Wasps. During his international career he toured with the British & Irish Lions three times and was part of England’s 2003 Rugby World Cup winning side.
Nadia Sawalha – 2007
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Actress and television presenter Nadia Sawalha won the second series of the cooking franchise. She’s well known for being a Loose Women panelist and for her role in EastEnders. Following her MasterChef stint, she co-presented Junior MasterChef with John Torode.
Liz McClarnon – 2008
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Former Atomic Kitten star Liz McClarnon was the third winner of the cooking show.
“I did MasterChef because my mum wanted me to. She is a fantastic cook and she persuaded me to take part. At first I thought winning was a bit of a fluke, but my brother is an amazing cook so it must run in the family,” she said upon winning.
Jayne Middlemiss – 2009
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TV and radio presenter Jayne Middlemiss swooped the prize in 2009. Middlemiss began presenting music television shows including The O Zone and Top of the Pops in the mid-90s, as well as other television and radio shows on BBC Radio 6 Music.
On winning, she said: “It’s so exciting. It was an incredible experience, it’s given me confidence and allowed me to realise my passion for cooking. I hope this is just the start of my culinary journey.”
Lisa Faulkner – 2010
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Former Holby City actress Lisa Faulkner was crowned Best Cook back in 2010 after impressing with her monkfish dish. It’s here where she met her now-husband John Torode, who was a judge at the time before his firing in summer 2025. Together they host John And Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen on ITV.
Phil Vickery – 2011
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Not to be mistaken for the professional chef who was married to Fern Britton, 64, rugby player Phil Vickery emerged victorious in 2011.
“I can’t believe it. I dreamed of winning Masterchef but it was literally just a dream. I never thought for one second I’d have it in me to be champion – who says miracles can’t happen?” he said upon winning.
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Emma Kennedy – 2012
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Actor and writer Emma Kennedy beat the competition in 2012 to be crowned the winner of season eight.
“My mother is going to scream for about three months without stopping – we’re probably going to have to sedate her,” Emma said.
Ade Edmonson – 2013
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Comedian Ade Edmonson (full name Adrian Charles Edmondson) won over the judges in 2013. After perfecting more complex dishes, he joked that he’d be celebrating with beans on toast.
Edmonson is an actor, comedian, musician, writer and television presenter, who rose to fame as part of the alternative comedy boom in the early 1980s.
Sophie Thompson – 2014
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Actress Sophie Thompson (who soap fans will recognise for playing villain Stella Crawford in EastEnders) stormed to victory in 2013.
“I can’t Adam and Eve it!” she said after her win. “Thank you so much, this has been the best fun! It’s ridiculous winning something like this! The trouble is if you put it in your kitchen… you could be hoisted by your own petard, if you serve up something a bit naff!”
Kimberly Wyatt – 2015
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Pussycat Dolls star Kimberley Wyatt won the 10th season in 2015. She called the experience “surreal” and thanked her husband, Max Rogers, for inspiring her love of cooking.
“It feels totally surreal, to be honest,” she told Hello! Magazine at the time.
“Life often takes you in unexpected directions, and now MasterChef has opened up this whole amazing new world of possibilities and I’m excited to see where it takes me.”
Alexias Conran – 2016
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Actor and presenter Alexias Conran pulled out all the stops on Celebrity MasterChef, creating a three-course dish fit for a Michelin Star restaurant of octopus stifado with fava for starters, stuffed chicken leg with feta curd, artichokes, peas and beetroot for mains, and nut filo pastry pin wheels with yoghurt for pudding – delish!
He’s well known for co-hosting the BBC Three show The Real Hustle from 2006 until 2012.
Angellica Bell – 2017
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TV presenter Angellica Bell, who many will recognise from her CBBC days – took home the prize in season 12, surpassing her husband, TV presenter Michael Underwood, who only made the show’s final when he competed in 2012.
John Partridge – 2018
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EastEnders actor John Partridge sailed through the final in 2018 and bagged the prize, saying: “It has been one of the best experiences of my life; I thought it was going to be all about cooking and about food and it ended up being so much more than that. I cooked to remember.”
Greg Rutherford – 2019
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Retired British Olympian Greg Rutherford might have swapped the tracks for the kitchen in 2019 but he still won gold, as he was announced the winner for this year’s series.
“I used everything I learnt as a sportsperson to dedicate my time and energy into creating the best food I possibly could,” he said after his victory.
“I’m over the moon that John and Gregg appreciated the effort I made and everybody else that tried my food during this process. This is a massive achievement and I look forward to using the skills that I’ve learnt during this process in the future.”
Riyadh Khalaf – 2020
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Content creator and YouTuber Riyadh Khalaf stole the show in 2020. He is known for his activism and social media presence. Born to Irish mother Lorraine and Iraqi father Sam, Khalaf is from Bray, County Wicklow. He dedicated his semi-final dishes to his father.
Kadeena Cox – 2021
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Paralympian Kadeena Cox won gold again, this time in the MasterChef kitchen, beating Joe Swash and Megan McKenna in the final. She is a parasport athlete competing in T38 para-athletics sprint events and C4 para-cycling and British television presenter.
Lisa Snowdon – 2022
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TV presenter and model Lisa Snowdon was crowned the winner of the 17th season in 2022 after wowing Greg Wallace and John Torode with her “daring” menu. She beat Mel Blatt and Danny Jones in the final.
“It’s such a life-changing experience. I feel like this isn’t real! I just can’t believe it. I couldn’t have wanted to win something that meant more to me than this. I am on cloud nine. I love it,” she said at the time.
Wynne Evans – 2023
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Welsh opera singer Wynne Evans impressed the judges in 2023 with his easy, yet tasty dishes. The 53-year-old wanted to “cook stuff that people do every day and relate to” and his first Christmas as a single dad inspired his signature sandwich.
“As a single dad, sometimes you don’t get to see your children on Christmas Day and that’s quite sad,” the singer recalled.
“I want to make Boxing Day really special for them so how to make not just another Christmas meal for the kids and them saying ‘not another Christmas dinner!’
“The first year I was on my own, I wasn’t really together and we ended up having a Chinese takeaway as I had nothing in the house – those are the realities of real life.”
After tasting the dish, Torode gushed: “This is something we’ve never seen on MasterChef before. Your imagination is quite incredible Wynne.”
Greg Wallace added: “We’ve got the leftovers of Christmas dinner. That’s really, really clever.”
Vito Coppola – 2024
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Strictly’s Vito Coppola is the reigning Celebrity MasterChef champ. He won the 19th series last year, beating Craig Doyle and Rochenda Sandall in the finale. He impressed the judges with his thoughtful and authentic Italian dishes, including Scialatielli Allo Scoglio and Babà Di Vito.
Celebrity MasterChef airs on weekdays on BBC One.
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