MasterChef pair still chewing over dispute about former winner

Gregg Wallace has said he and his MasterChef co-star John Torode are still in disagreement over a winner in the celebrity version of the cooking programme from more than a decade ago.

The TV presenter said he still brings up his feud with his fellow MasterChef judge even now, and Torode said they are like a “married couple” in the way they fight.

Wallace told Radio Times magazine: “There’s a disagreement that still rumbles on from Celebrity MasterChef in 2006. We were choosing between Hardeep Singh Kohli and Matt Dawson in the final and we still disagree now.

“Every now and again I bring it up when I’m feeling irritable.

“I know when I look into John’s eyes whether he seriously wants that person, I can look in his eyes and know if there’s wiggle room, a chance that I can change his mind.

“But when he slams down a spoon and looks at me and says, ‘I’m telling you, there’s no way they’re cooking for me again as long as I live’, he means it. Then I won’t even bother.”

Retired rugby player Dawson won Celebrity MasterChef in 2006.

Wallace, who has hosted the BBC food programme alongside chef Torode since 2005, added: “We feel passionately about contestants so we’ll always disagree.”

Torode said: “We’re like a married couple. We both stand our ground and stick our heels in and then sometimes, when it feels worth it, we push the point.

“If Gregg’s got a tear in his eye, I know he really cares and I’ll cave.”

The new series of MasterChef starts on Monday on BBC One.

Passionate: Gregg Wallace.