John Torode's wife Lisa Faulkner makes feelings clear on Gregg Wallace MasterChef replacement with two-word statement

The announcement came after Wallace stepped away from his presenting role, which he has held since 2005 - with many speculating that it would be Dent who would fill his shoes.

The food critic is already familiar with the MasterChef kitchen, having previously appeared as a guest judge and participated in MasterChef: Battle Of The Critics.

Torode expressed enthusiasm about working with his new co-judge and expressed: "I have loved working with Grace on MasterChef over the years. She has been an excellent guest, an inspiring critic and also set some incredible challenges."

He emphasised the importance of expertise in the show's success, adding: "The love of food, the love of MasterChef, and that unquestionable expertise, makes Grace the perfect person to step in alongside me as judge for the forthcoming Celebrity MasterChef series."

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Dent also shared her emotional connection to the show, adding: "I've been watching MasterChef since I was a girl sitting with my dad on the sofa.

"My whole family watches it. It's all about uncovering and championing talent - and to have ended up in this position, is more than a dream to me."

The restaurant critic expressed her excitement about the new role, though admitted: "I'm so excited that I can't eat, which is severely detrimental to a restaurant critic."

She added: "I feel very lucky to be stepping in for the next Celebrity MasterChef. I can't wait to meet the fresh celebrity faces for 2025."

Torode's wife Faulkner was quick to show her support for the new appointment with an enthusiastic response underneath Dent's Instagram post, writing: "Go Grace!!!!!!!"

Kalpna Patel-Knight, head of entertainment at the BBC, endorsed the decision, saying: "Grace Dent is the perfect choice to step in for the next series of Celebrity MasterChef.

"Grace is not only an energetic and well-established member of the MasterChef team but is also a world-renowned food critic, so she will certainly keep the next batch of celebrities on their toes."

The new series featuring Dent as judge is set to air in 2025.

Many fans of the show were thrilled that Dent would be replacing Wallace, with some claiming her arrival on the series would "save" the show after Wallace's alleged indiscretions.

Wallace's lawyers have vehemently denied any wrongdoing and branded the allegations as "false".

Former magazine editor Lebby Eyres told GB News: "Grace is a journalist really by trade, she's done her time. She started on women's mags just like me.

"Then she worked at the Guardian and she was a TV critic. She's got a very spiky sense of humour, she is a restaurant critic. She knows her staff. She's absolutely the right person for the right job."

She added: "I think that the thing that was odd about the whole scandal with Gregg Wallace really was why they kept hold of him for such a long time anyway.

"I mean, in my opinion, he can be a little bit grating on viewers and it was time for a change. The format has been going on for a long time. It's good to mix things up.

"I think that there may be a little caveat with Grace, she is a little bit spikier, perhaps, than Gregg. Gregg was a warm character on screen. Obviously, we know now what happened off-screen.

"I think that viewers will warm to her. She's made many guest appearances on MasterChef. So I think it will be enough to save the show."