Gregg cooks up for pension pot MASTERCHEF A TASTY EARNER
SOAP favourite Gemma Oaten reckons some of her antics while filming Celebrity Antiques Road Trip were too much for telly.
The ex-Emmerdale star competes on tonight’s
GREGG Wallace has admitted he does for the money.
The star has pocketed a lucrative fee fronting the BBC cookery show for more than 14 years.
And he’s hinting he’ll walk away once he no longer needs the cash.
He said: “Once I’ve paid off my mortgage and I have the pension pot that I require, then I’ll take a judgment on whether I’ll keep doing the show.
“But right now I still need the money!” Former greengrocer Gregg has starred on MasterChef with pal John Torode since
MasterChef
episode against fellow actress Samantha Renke. And they learned antiques are anything but boring.
Gemma said: “We had an absolute ball.
“When Samantha and I get together we have a riot… I’m just not sure how much of it they can show in the final edit!” Items that go to auction on the episode include a life-sized donkey. Watch it tonight at 7pm on
BBC Two. 2005. It’s a ratings hit for the BBC and has been sold to more than 60 countries. It has also spawned a number of spin-offs including celebrity versions.
Gregg said: “I think the show is a success because it’s made by very good TV makers.
“No scene lasts more than two or three minutes. And throughout each programme you want to see if people are accomplishing the tasks or not. It’s about the people… I don’t even think it’s about the food.
“Also, it works as a whole series or it works as standalone programmes. It’s very well made.” Starring on MasterChef has made Gregg, 55, one of TV’s biggest names. He gets recognised wherever he goes out – even if it’s abroad. In recent months he has been filming in cities across Europe for a new travel series for Channel 5.
He said: “I get spotted by British tourists. While filming this show, Barcelona was the toughest for that. We were trying to work out in the street and there were so many Brits around.
“I don’t mind it but production were concerned about how much it holds things up. People shout things out from across the road, which isn’t ideal. But sometimes they can keep the camera running while I’m waving at people.”
Gregg also had the chance to visit Rome, Berlin, Amsterdam and Vienna for the series, which will air early next year. He added: “It’s a nice job to indulge your passions — food, history, a bit of art. It’s nice. Working on this show has become my weekend away.”