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Celebrity MasterChef to feature its first-ever blind contestant Amar Latif

Written by on 25/05/2020

This year’s Celebrity MasterChef will feature its first-ever blind contestant – travel presenter Amar Latif.

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The Scottish entrepreneur has explored the world, despite losing the majority of his sight due to a genetic eye condition.

In April, Latif was treated in hospital for coronavirus – and said afterwards he didn’t think he was going to make it.

The 45-year-old is among 20 contestants going head-to-head in the kitchen in a bid to impress judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace.

MasterChef, which is filmed in a studio in east London, was filmed before the COVID-19 outbreak.

Sporting stars stepping up to the plate include tennis coach Judy Murray, footballer John Barnes and Olympians Sam Quek and Sir Matthew Pinsent.

Quadrophenia actor Phil Daniels, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Baga Chipz, and Rak-Su singer Myles Stephenson – who recently recovered from a serious snowboarding accident – will also take part.

The 16th series of the show will run over five weeks, after which one celebrity will be take home the trophy and coveted Celebrity MasterChef title.

TV presenters Gethin Jones, Jeff Brazier and Dom Littlewood, The Only Way Is Essex star Pete Wicks, broadcaster Riyadh Khalaf and The Apprentice star Thomas Skinner will also be cooking up a storm.

After four weeks of heats, the semi-final and final week stages will see the celebrities tasked with mass catering from tents for 100 people for a special anniversary lunch.

Other challenges include a takeaway themed “invention test” and cooking for celebrity chef Aldo Zilli.

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Carla-Maria Lawson, commissioning editor for the BBC, called this year’s contestants “an exciting, ambitious and brave bunch”.

Katie Attwood, series editor at production company Shine TV, confirmed the heats kick off with the “market test” – and said this will throw up some “unusual creations for John and Gregg to say the least”.

Celebrity MasterChef returns to BBC One in the summer.

(c) Sky News 2020: Celebrity MasterChef to feature its first-ever blind contestant Amar Latif