Grace Dent suffered the devastating loss of both her parents within two years.
This week it was confirmed that the food critic, 51, will be the new host of MasterChef, to replace him Greg Wallace who has distanced himself from the BBC display while an investigation into alleged inappropriate behavior takes place.
Before her appearance on I’m A Celebrity last year, Grace opened up about how she had been ‘going through a really difficult time’.
Grace’s mother passed away in February 2021 after a battle with cancer.
“We were all together as a family up until the point she passed away. And I just think that when I look back on my life, I will never regret it,” she previously told Kate Thornton on her podcast.
‘And I feel like I’m a lot different since it… Chthat my mother is finally going. She left a huge hole.
Grace Dent suffered the devastating loss of both her parents within two years
Before starring on I’m A Celebrity last year, Grace opened up about how she had been ‘going through a really difficult time’. Grace’s mother passed away in February 2021 after a battle with cancer
This week it was confirmed that the 51-year-old food critic will be the new host of MasterChef, replacing Gregg Wallace
‘It’s a very strange part of my life. I’m at that point where I think about something every day, I just want to call her. Now that she’s gone, I’m trying to figure out who I am now.’
After the death of Grace’s mother, she acted as a caregiver for her father, George, who had Alzheimer’s disease.
She wrote about his struggle in 2020 The Guardian: ‘There’s so much I want to say to Dad, but I can’t bring myself…
‘Dementia is really uncomfortable, not only painful and frightening, embarrassing, I don’t like being left alone with Dad. But sometimes I see fear in his eyes…
“Sometimes, the way Dad talks these days, his brain catches up halfway through a nonsensical sentence, and in that moment he understands the utter ridiculousness of what he’s saying, and pure shame crosses his face.”
Grace’s father died in December 2022, just 22 months after her mother’s death.
The food critic paid tribute to him on her Instagram at the time. She wrote: ‘Well daddy. You choose your moments. To be honest, you hated Christmas. All those people who ‘came in’ when you wanted to watch Porridge Christmas Special with a glass of Lidl vin de table and your fruit and nuts.
“Thank you for fixing my roller skates and teaching me the value of quitting. I will always, on some level, sit in your armpit in 1978 and watch Kenny Everett. #ynwa.”
The food critic has earned her place alongside John Torode as MasterChef presenter after a 30-year career in journalism
Grace’s father died in December 2022, just 22 months after her mother’s death. The food critic paid tribute to him on her Instagram at the time
Ahead of her stint in the jungle last year, Grace spoke of the sadness she felt at losing both her parents in such a short space of time.
Ahead of her time in the jungle last year, Grace spoke of the sadness she felt at losing both her parents in such a short time.
“This is going to be a big challenge and now that I’m older, life is for living and it’s one of the reasons I said yes.”
She later quit the show after ‘losing all her energy’ at camp and reached a breaking point before doing another Bushtucker Trial.
But now the food critic has earned her place alongside John Torode as MasterChef presenter after a 30-year career in journalism, books, podcasts and TV, topped off with a memorable appearance on I’m A Celeb a year ago.
Grace was born and raised by her parents in Carlisle and grew up with her younger brother David.
She went on to study at Stirling University, obtaining a degree in English Literature.
During her studies, Grace began her journalism career by writing features for Cosmopolitan, according to The Sun.
After leaving full-time education, she had quite an illustrious writing career, working as an editorial assistant for Vogue and then as a freelance journalist for various magazines such as Marie Claire, Glamor and more.
She also wrote about all things TV for 12 years, from 2000 to 2012, before finding her way to The Independent.
For six years she wrote a restaurant column called ‘Grace and Flavour’, for The Evening Standard.
Grace often appears on various TV shows criticizing people’s plates – you may have seen them on MasterChef: The Professionals, Celebrity MasterChef, MasterChef UK.
She was also a judge on a BBC program called Great British Menu.