Giorgio Locatelli, a Michelin-starred chef, has been announced as the replacement for John Torode on Celebrity MasterChef. The BBC show will feature Giorgio alongside restaurant critic Grace Dent, who filled in for Gregg Wallace.
The upcoming season of the popular BBC program has already been recorded, with the 63-year-old Giorgio joining Grace as a judge. Giorgio previously judged the amateur cooking show in Italy.
Following their dismissal from the show in July last year after 21 years, John Torode and Gregg Wallace were both let go. Allegations against John, involving the use of a racist term during production, were investigated and confirmed. Despite denying the accusation, the BBC decided not to renew John’s contract.
Giorgio expressed his approach as being strict and focused on cleanliness and organization while working with celebrities on the show. Grace praised Giorgio’s addition to the Celebrity MasterChef team, highlighting his culinary expertise.
The BBC officially stated that John’s contract would not be renewed due to the substantiated complaint of racist language use. Additionally, Vito Coppola and Ginger Johnson were winners of Celebrity MasterChef in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
John’s final appearance on the show was in December 2025, where viewers noticed his emotional reaction while tasting one of the dishes.