Paralympic Champ Wins MasterChef Crown

Paralympic champion Lauren Steadman has earned the Celebrity MasterChef title, concluding a competition that began with fifteen celebrities. Steadman faced tough competition from Olympic medallist Emily Campbell and Love Island's Shakira Khan in the final, which aired on BBC One and iPlayer on September 18, 2026. Judges Grace Dent and Giorgio Locatelli evaluated three-course meals from each finalist. Steadman's meal included scallops, beef wellington, and a sticky toffee pudding that received outstanding reviews. Locatelli declared it the best sticky toffee pudding he had ever tasted, and Dent called it exemplary. Steadman, an MBE, has a distinguished sporting career, including Paralympic medals in swimming and paratriathlon. She also has experience in other television competitions, reaching the Strictly Come Dancing semi-finals in 2018 and the final of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins in 2019. Steadman described the MasterChef win as being on par with a Paralympic gold medal, calling it a rare speechless moment. Both runners-up congratulated Steadman. Emily Campbell acknowledged the result as more than deserved, while Shakira Khan praised Steadman's cooking as a gold medal performance. Khan also humorously noted her consistent runner-up status.