Mexico: Nun becomes star of MasterChef

Sister Florinda Ruiz says her recipe for happiness is "joy, enthusiasm and the love of Jesus"

A nun has captured the imagination of television viewers in Mexico, where she is through to the last six in the country's version of MasterChef.

Sister Florinda Ruiz is taking part in the programme, which is being aired in Mexico for the first time this year, in the hope of paying off a bank debt owed by her congregation, Spain's El Pais newspaper reports. The top prize of 1m pesos ($59,000; £38,600) is only a fraction of the 7m pesos that The Sisters of the Passion of Christ and Our Lady of Sorrows owes over a school project, but Sister Flor - as she's become known - hopes the money will solve the order's immediate financial difficulties. Thanking St Joseph for her progress at the end of every programme, she's come close to being eliminated more than once, but has so far managed to avoid the chop, El Pais says.

The 67-year-old works in the kitchen at her convent in the central city of Puebla. She recently told Mexico's El Observador that the most difficult aspect of filming MasterChef was being unable to go to church and pray in peace each day. "Cooking brings you closer to God," she said. With filming over and several episodes still left to air, she's not allowed to say how far she goes in the competition. However, she admitted her sisters met her with "great joy", as they had to work harder in the kitchen in her absence.

Sister Flor isn't the first nun to excel in the world of reality television. Last year, Sister Cristina Scuccia won Italy's version of The Voice talent show, and went on to release a cover of Madonna's Like a Virgin as her debut single.

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