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Celebrity MasterChef Australia 2021: All the stars appearing on the show
Get your pots and pans ready, sharpen your knives and clear those kitchen benches because Celebrity MasterChef is back!
As the celebs battle it out to show just who is king or queen of the kitchen this year, we at home can gather tips and hints and more than a couple of recipes to inspire and improve our cuisine and impress our families.
So just who are the stars who will be appearing on the show this year?
Rebecca Gibney
Actress Rebecca Gibney is an Australian icon (Okay she was born in New Zealand but we like to claim her as our own) having appeared in renowned TV shows over the years such as The Flying Doctors, Halifax f.p., and Packed to the Rafters.
The actress doesn't rate herself as a cook, it was her son Zac who encouraged her to go on the show. "[Zac] said 'Mum, you could make your banging spag bol and you do a really good roast chook' – I'm going 'Mate, it's the MasterChef kitchen, you don't do a spag bol!'" she told the Daily Telegraph.
But she obviously decided to throw caution to the wind and give it a shot though she may be regretting that now."What was I thinking?!?! #s%*tjustgotreal @masterchefau #youidiot…" she wrote on her insta account.
Ian Thorpe
Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe, or Thorpey as he's affectionately known, may be an athlete but it doesn't mean he doesn't love to cook. In fact, the former competitive swimmer has even released his own cookbook, Cook For Your Life: Fresh, Delicious Recipes where he shares his passion for good food.
"A lifetime love of cooking teamed with a refusal to give up the flavours of his favourite meals led Ian to develop a plan that allowed him to eat the delicious foods he loves and to maintain a healthy, lean, strong body," it says in the description for the book.
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And no doubt he will be competitive in the MasterChef kitchen he has also shown his softer side posting a picture of him hugging fellow contestant Tilly Ramsay on social media writing: "When you have the pleasure of giving a delightful young person from the other side of the world a hug and a kiss just to make them feel better ."
Tilly Ramsay
Matilda'Tilly' Ramsay may well have an unfair advantage being the daughter of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and cookbook writer Tana Ramsay. But it's not just her parents who influence her cooking. "Nothing beats coming home to Nan's homemade chicken soup love you nan😘xx" she posted on her Instagram account with a pic on her grandmother.
The 19-year-old has already been on a number of TV shows including MasterChef Junior and 'Big Chef Little Chef' a segment on British morning show This Morning with her dad and Matilda and the Ramsay Bunch, which is also a cooking show.
But MasterChef Australia also isn't her only reality show this year, she's also signed up to do Strictly Come Dancing, the UK version of Dancing with the Stars!
Chrissie Swan
Chrissie first hit the big time as a contestant on the reality show Big Brother but has since forged a career for herself as a TV and radio presenter.
The mum of three loves to cook and is thrilled to be taking part in MasterChef saying: "Guys. Someone pinch me. I’m on @masterchefau 👩🍳I’m having the time of my life!" on her Instagram account.
She also gave a little more info on the show to fellow Nova show hosts Fitzy and Wippa. "The great thing about the cast is that they’re all dark horses because you don’t know what goes on behind closed kitchen doors," she explained on Fitzy and Wippa's radio show. "There’s plenty of surprises!" she added.
Dami Im
Dami Im first shot to fame on The X Factor Australia winning the show in 2013. She went on to represent Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2016 coming second which is the best Australia has ever done on the show. She even has her fan club who call themselves the Dami Army!
She loves to cook, particularly Korean food like her mum's, and she sometimes shares recipes on her YouTube channel like how to make Korean BBQ at home.
But how will she do on Masterchef? "Most of you know that I LOVE TO EAT and I think my cooking isn't that bad but my mum might disagree..😂," she wrote on Instagram. "I guess you will find out when you get to watch me on celebrity Masterchef..!! Wish me luck"
Dilruk Jayasinha
Can you believe that Dilruk Jayasinha used to be more at home with spreadsheets than a life onTV? In fact, the Sri Lankan-born star moved to Australia to study accounting. The stand-up comedian and star of Utopia admits he has a passion for food, the only problem is, it is more about eating it than cooking it.
"I have to say that one of my favourite things to splurge on is eating out at nice restaurants - I love good food," he said in an interview with Money magazine. "In fact, I can honestly say that I really don't remember the last time I cooked something myself, it would have to have been at least two years ago."
However, he's decided to change all that and give cooking a go, first starting a little cooking segment on his socials with Dil's Rookie Cooking and then the obvious next step, signing up for MasterChef.
"One of the most intense challenges I threw myself into but boy did I have a blast doing it. Can’t wait to watch the culinary chaos!" he wrote on Instagram.
Matt Le Nevez
He may be best known for Offspring and Love Child, but actor Matt Le Nevez is about to show us what he's made of in the kitchen. We know he's got what it takes to convince us he's a doctor (he plays Dr Patrick Reid in Offspring) but can he convince us he's a chef in the kitchen?
The Aussie has been based in the US with his partner American Michelle Smith and their two children son Levi, six, and four-year-old daughter Wren.
"Michelle and the kids are the main things that have kept me here," the actor told TV Week in 2019. But the global pandemic may have made it easier to take the job on MasterChef as he also said at the time that one day they'd like to come back to Australia as a family.
"Michelle and I often talk about the fact that ultimately, neither of us want to raise our kids in LA, and I certainly romanticise the idea of moving back."
Nick Riewoldt
AFL player Nick Riewoldt probably isn't the first person you'd imagine in a kitchen, but the dad of three boys loves to cook. He even whipped up a culinary delight for Better Homes & Gardens host Joh Griggs when he appeared on the show making macadamia encrusted salmon with a broccolini, mirin and chilli side.
Now he's putting his abilities to the greatest test seeing if he can impress MasterChef judges Andy Allen, Melissa Leong and Jock Zonfrillo.
So how did he find the whole cooking show experience? "Fun, stress, nerves, swearing, laughing, burns, cuts, throwing things, lifelong friends etc etc. I had the full @masterchefau experience," he said on social media.
Archie Thompson
Former Socceroo player turned pundit Archie Thompson is passionate about eating healthily and particularly in getting kids to enjoy good food.
"While we aim to feed our kids healthy meals, sometimes it can be daunting to come up with recipes you know they will enjoy,” Archie told Best Recipes. But even he admits that his kids Isabella and Axel, crave the same sort of meals as most Aussie kids "As with any kids they love pizza, so having a healthy pizza option up your sleeve is a good idea," he said.
Now he's taking on MasterChef to see if he can add a few more recipes to his repertoire. "Going to milk the absolute sh@$ out of this 🤙🏾🤪🤪🍗🍗," he wrote in an Instagram post.
Collette Dinnigan
Fashion turned interior designer Collette Dinnigan is as zealous about cooking as she is fashion. Her love of Italy has led to adventures and homes in Rome and Puglia where she scours the markets for delicious tidbits to cook and serve.
"The anchovies are bought at the market that morning, marinated for six hours and served as an antipasto on the same evening," she told Delicious magazine.
"One week we’re making strawberry jam, the next we’re pickling beetroot. There is an endless abundance here, where something ripens in a week, and then it’s gone," she tells The Australian.
With such a sophisticated palate, we can't wait to see what she cooks up!
Celebrity MasterChef coming soon to 10
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