Celebrity MasterChef: Channel 5 News apologises for revealing winner

This article reveals the winner of Celebrity Masterchef Christmas Cook Off 2021, episode one.

Celebrity Masterchef contestants L-R: Joey Essex, Judi Love, Su Pollard, Neil Ruddock, Oti Mabuse

Channel 5 News has apologised after mistakenly revealing the winner of Celebrity MasterChef before the programme had been broadcast.

On Tuesday, comedian Judi Love was crowned as 2021's first festive champion of the BBC One cooking show.

The Loose Women panellist whisked away competition from Oti Mabuse, Joey Essex, Neil Ruddock and Su Pollard.

Minutes before the programme was due to air, however, Channel 5 News inadvertently announced the winner.

"We would like to say sorry for mistakenly announcing the winner of BBC1's Celebrity MasterChef before it was revealed on the programme tonight," tweeted Channel 5 News on its official account later in the evening.

News programmes are often issued advance copies of programmes, or embargoed press releases filled with information, to help them prepare material for their bulletins.

The tweet received a mixed reaction from viewers, with one person saying: "Good job I didn't see it before I watched it. You'd be in massive trouble."

Others humorously replied with pictures and gifs of Prue Leith, who spoiled the Bake Off winner on Twitter in 2017, the first year the show had aired on Channel 4.

Another user replied: "Now if you could tell me tomorrow night's lottery results all will be forgiven."

John Torode and Gregg Wallace are hosting two festive MasterChef specials this year

Love won the contest, impressing the judges with a Caribbean-themed Christmas dinner of a rolled turkey breast stuffed with jerk seasoning, served with parsnip puree, carrots, stuffing, roast potatoes, crispy turkey skin and a cranberry and scotch bonnet chilli jam.

Judge Gregg Wallace described it as "nothing short of fantastic".

The recent Strictly contestant also served up a Jamaican Christmas black cake with a sorrel sauce and a stout and rum punch ice cream.

Another round of Celebrity MasterChef Christmas Cook-Off will air on 23 December on BBC One with a fresh batch of celebrities.

Meanwhile, it was confirmed by ITV on Wednesday that one of Love's rivals in the MasterChef kitchen, Oti Mabuse, will replace John Barrowman as the new judge on Dancing On Ice.

Dancing on Ice judges, (left to right) Oti Mabuse, Jayne Torvill, Christopher Dean and Ashley Banjo

The Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer, and two-time former winner, has said it is "more than an honour" to be joining Ashley Banjo, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean on the panel in January 2022.

"As a professional dancer I have always had so much respect for the skating professionals on Dancing On Ice," Mabuse added.

The 31-year-old will replace Barrowman, whose departure was announced in October.

He had previously apologised for exposing himself to colleagues on the sets of other shows, and his behaviour came under renewed scrutiny earlier this year.

It is not yet clear whether Mabuse will leave Strictly Come Dancing, although she has previously indicated that the most recent series, which concluded on Saturday, could be her last.