Previous winners of Celebrity MasterChef include opera singer Wynne Evans, who is on this season of Strictly Come Dancing, Bottom star Ade Edmondson and Loose Women star Nadia Sawalha.

But who won last night to join the reigning champions of the BBC cooking competition hosted by judges Gregg Wallace and John Torode?

On Friday’s final (September 20), it was Strictly’s Vito Coppola, Irish TV and radio presenter Craig Doyle and Line Of Duty actress Rochenda Sandall hoping to claim the title.

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Yet in the end, it was Italian dancer Vito who was crowned the winner, less than a year after he and celebrity partner Ellie Leach lifted the glitterball trophy on Strictly in 2023.

The 31-year-old stormed the channel’s cookery programme by making a main of Italian seafood pasta, scialatielli allo scoglio, and a desert of Baba Di Vito, a small cake soaked in rum and served with zabaione, a marsala wine cream, and cherries in syrup.

“I cannot believe it, look (the trophy) it’s so beautiful,” he said.

“People think that food is just food, but no, I keep saying food is life. It’s the first love of my life, food, and I cannot just wait to share all of this with my family.”

After winning, he rang his grandfather and said in Italian: “Nonno, I won, I won with your ingredients. I came first, I love you.”

MasterChef judges Gregg and John praised the special dishes he created as he became the 19th person to lift the celebrity trophy.

John commented: “Vito came into this competition with a purpose he wanted to show us his life on a plate.

“What he’s grown up with, the food he loves and why he loves it, and what he’s done is made us love it too. That’s what good food is all about.”

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Greg added: “He’s in love with creativity. He is something quite special.”

Speaking about his menu, Vito shared: “One day, my family and I went to Positano and we had this scialatielli allo scoglio, just eating in front of the sea. It was one of the best days ever, so I want to bring that day to MasterChef.

“The dessert is Baba, which is like my mum and my Nonna used to make for me on Sunday.”