By Lauren Morris

Published: Tuesday, 21 December 2021 at 12:00 am

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Celebrity MasterChef returns over the festive period for another round of Christmas specials on BBC One, which a stellar line-up of famous faces hoping to prove themselves in the kitchen.

Over the course of two specials, two groups of celebrities will be tying up their aprons and sticking on their oven mitts in the hopes of impressing Greg Wallace and John Torode.

The 10 celebs, all of whom have competed on Celebrity MasterChef in the past, will get another chance to demonstrate their culinary skills, with stars from TOWIE, Strictly Come Dancing, I’m A Celebrity and the sporting world all set to take part.

Read on for everything you need to know about the line-up of Celebrity MasterChef’s Christmas Cook-Off 2021.

Joey Essex

Joey Essex is a TV personality best known for starring in ITV’s The Only Way is Essex and has since appeared on other shows such as Celebs Go Dating, Educating Joey Essex, I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! and Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.

He took part on Celebrity MasterChef back in 2019 and made divided viewers with his ‘stirotto’ dish – a combination of stir fry and risotto.

Neil Ruddock

Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock is a former professional footballer and television personality who played for England and a number of clubs over his 17-year career. He retired from the sport in 2015.

Outside of sport, Ruddock has appeared on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here, reality show Football Saved My Life and James May’s Man Lab. He took part in Celebrity Masterchef in 2019 and reached the final three.

Judi Love

Comedian and presenter Judi Love is best known as a panellist on ITV’s Loose Women and for her appearances on Jon Richardson’s Channel Hopping, The Stand Up Sketch Show, Celebrity Karaoke, Celebrity Gogglebox and most recently, Strictly Come Dancing.

She competed on the 2020 series of Celebrity MasterChef and came in third place after losing to YouTubers Riyadh Khalaf.

Su Pollard

Su Pollard is an actress and songwriter who starred in the BAFTA-winning sitcom Hi-de-Hi! back in the 1980s. She’s appeared in You Rang, M’Lord?, Oh, Doctor Beeching!, Gimme Gimme Gimme, The Bob Monkhouse Show and Jackanory.

More recently, she’s competed on Pointless Celebrities, Through the Keyhole, Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special and Celebrity The Chase. She also appeared on the most recent series of Celebrity Masterchef, which was won by Kadeena Cox.

Gemma Collins

TOWIE star Gemma Collins is a television personality who, since making a name for herself on the ITV reality show, has appeared on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here, Celebrity Big Brother, Celebs Go Dating and Dancing On Ice.

She currently stars in her own reality series, Gemma Collins: Diva, and hosts the podcast The Gemma Collins Podcast. She took part in Celebrity MasterChef back in 2018 and was eliminated in the second round of the third heat.

Joe Swash

Former EastEnders star Joe Swash is returning to the MasterChef kitchen for this year’s Celebrity Christmas special, having taken part in the most recent series.

The actor is best known for playing Mickey Miller on EastEnders from 2003 until 2011 before competing on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here, Hole in the Wall and Dancing on Ice, which he won.

He has since branched out into presenting, having hosted Gimme a Break and I’m a Celebrity: Extra Camp.

Les Dennis

Actor and comedian Les Dennis is best known for hosting Family Fortunes from 1987 until 2002 and for his roles on Casualty, Extras, Brookside, The Bill and Birds of a Feather.

He has competed on Celebrity Big Brother in 2002 and Celebrity MasterChef in 2013, finishing as a runner-up to Ade Edmondson.

Mica Paris

Singer and presenter Mica Paris will be back in the MasterChef kitchen this Christmas period after competing on the show back in 2015.

She is best known for her hits My One Temptation and Where is the Love, as well as for playing Ellie Nixon in EastEnders last year. She’s appeared on The Wright Stuff, Loose Women, Strictly Come Dancing, Come Dine With Me and The Michael Ball Show.

Rev Richard Coles

Reverend Richard Coles is a musician, radio presenter and parish priest who is best known as a member of pop band The Communards, which achieved a hit single with Don’t Leave Me This Way.

After the band split in 1988, Coles trained as a priest and inspired the BBC Two sitcom Rev, before also becoming a broadcaster, hosting BBC Radio 4’s Saturday Live and appearing on QI, Would I Lie To You and Have I Got News for You.

In 2016, he appeared on Celebrity MasterChef and finished in fifth place.

Oti Mabuse

Strictly Come Dancing’s Oti Mabuse is a professional dancer who’ll be swapping the ballroom for the MasterChef kitchen this Christmas.

She joined Strictly as a professional dancer in 2015, having previously appeared on Germany’s Let’s Dance. She has since become a Dance Captain on The Greatest Dancer and a panellist on The Masked Dancer, while in 2019, she competed on Celebrity MasterChef.

Celebrity MasterChef Christmas Cook Off begins on Tuesday (21st December) at 8pm on BBC One. Visit our Entertainment hub for more news and features, or find something to watch with our TV Guide.

This year’s Radio Times Christmas double issue is on sale now, featuring two weeks of TV, film and radio listings, reviews, features and interviews with the stars.

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