Lauren Steadman has won Celebrity MasterChef, and the Paralympic champion needed every single course to do it. Three finalists cooked a three-course meal for judges Grace Dent and Giorgio Locatelli on Friday night, and only one could lift the 2026 trophy.The BBC One final capped a contest that began with 15 celebrities. Olympic medallist Emily Campbell and Love Island’s Shakira Khan pushed hard, and Dent found the choice close to impossible. One dessert tipped the verdict, though, and a runner-up had a joke ready afterwards.
Lauren Steadman beats Celebrity MasterChef rivals in dramatic final showdown
Lauren Steadman took the title on Friday, September 18, in a final shown on BBC One and iPlayer at 8 p.m. The Paralympic gold medallist beat Campbell and Khan in a head-to-head where each finalist had to cook and present a faultless three-course meal. It was the last chance to show passion and creativity in front of Dent and Locatelli, and Steadman’s execution earned her the trophy.Steadman opened with scallops pan-fried in chilli butter, served with a coconut and spinach lentil dahl puree and topped with fresh apple batons. The main was a beef wellington with truffle mash, caramelised shallot, butternut squash puree, tenderstem broccoli and a red wine jus. Dessert was a classic sticky toffee pudding with dates, caramel sauce and clotted cream ice cream.The pudding did the most damage. Locatelli said, “Mamma mia… this is the best sticky toffee pudding I’ve ever had.” Dent went with “exemplary” for the same dish and said the final plates were simply wonderful. Locatelli also explained the bigger picture. Steadman has a knack for turning every situation into an advantage, and that is why the crown went to the champion.Finals week added plenty of pressure. Steadman made a dog bone shaped dessert for fifty guests at Crufts, billed as the world’s largest and most prestigious dog show. The Chef’s Table at The Ritz, a top event on the culinary calendar, was another test.After the win, Steadman said, “This is up there with a Paralympic gold medal.” Speechless moments are rare, Steadman added, and this was one of them.
Lauren Steadman’s Celebrity MasterChef win adds to a long sporting résumé
Steadman is an MBE, was born in Peterborough and is a University of Portsmouth graduate. Swimming came first, at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics at age 15 and again at London 2012. Paratriathlon followed, bringing silver in Rio 2016, gold in Tokyo and bronze in Paris 2024. The three-time world champion is also an eight-time European champion.Steadman reached the Strictly Come Dancing semi-finals in 2018 as the show’s first female contestant with a disability, then finished as a finalist on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins in 2019.The kitchen was a different kind of risk, and Steadman knew it. Before the series, the athlete told the BBC that sport had taught pressure handling and a love of new challenges. Cooking for loved ones is one thing, Steadman said, and having food critically analysed is another. The show could go very wrong, but it might also build confidence. Steadman calls the style intuitive. A soup that got far too many stock cubes once became a pasta sauce, and measuring is rarely part of the routine.The other finalists took defeat well. Campbell called the result “more than deserved” and joked about being relieved that the contest was over. Khan, a runner-up on Love Island last year, said, “Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.” She added that she had a ball and called Steadman’s cooking a gold medal performance.