Dubliner Anna Haugh set for new series of MasterChef
Haugh, the star of BBC Two's Anna Haugh's Big Irish Food Tour, is no stranger to MasterChef, as she has previously appeared on Celebrity MasterChef and as a judge on MasterChef: The Professionals.
She owns Myrtle, a restaurant in Chelsea, London that serves European food with an Irish touch.
Haugh has also been a guest judge on Gordon Ramsay's US show Hell's Kitchen, and her other TV credits BBC's Ready Steady Cook and Saturday Kitchen.
In 2024, she published Cooking with Anna.
The final series of MasterChef to feature former presenters Gregg Wallace and John Torode began on BBC One on Wednesday.
In November 2024, it was announced that Wallace would step away from his role on the BBC cooking show while historical allegations of misconduct were investigated, and last month a statement from MasterChef makers Banijay UK and the BBC said they had agreed "Mr Wallace's return to MasterChef is untenable".
In the wake of the Lewis Silkin review that saw 45 out of 83 allegations made against him upheld, Wallace issued an apology in which he said he was "deeply sorry for any distress caused" and that he "never set out to harm or humiliate".
Torode was the subject of an allegation about using racist language that was upheld as part of the Lewis Silkin review, but the TV star said he had "no recollection of the incident" and was "shocked and saddened" by the allegation.
Last month, the BBC confirmed the new series of MasterChef, which was filmed last year before allegations against Wallace and Torode were upheld, would be broadcast in August, adding that it had "not been an easy decision in the circumstances".
The BBC added that "broadcasting this series is the right thing to do for these cooks who have given so much to the process".
"We want them to be properly recognised and give the audience the choice to watch the series," it said.
One of this year's contestants asked to be edited out of the series.
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