SPOILER ALERT: Strictly Come Dancing pro Vito Coppola has been awarded the title of Celebrity MasterChef Champion 2024, becoming the 19th person to lift the highly prized trophy on BBC One’s celebrity cooking competition!
Cooking his way ahead of 19 other celebrities, Vito claimed victory after six increasingly intense weeks of cook-offs and culinary tests, ending in a thrilling challenge in the MasterChef kitchen against his fellow finalists, TV and radio presenter, Craig Doyle and actor Rochenda Sandall. Vito was awarded the Celebrity MasterChef title by the shows judges Gregg Wallace and John Torode.
“I cannot believe it!” Coppola said of his win. “People think that food is just food, but no, I keep saying food is life. It’s the first love of my life, food, and I cannot just wait to share all of this with my family.”
Commending the 2023 Strictly champion, John Torode said: “Vito came into this competition with a purpose he wanted to show us his life on a plate. What he’s grown up with, the food he loves and why he loves it, and what he’s done is made us love it too. That’s what good food is all about.”
With Gregg Wallace adding: “He’s in love with creativity. He is something quite special.”
In the final episode, Vito, alongside Craig and Rochenda, had two hours to put on their ‘Ultimate Dinner Party Menu’ and produce the best food they have ever cooked. Their two courses needed to exceed everything they had offered front of the judges before this crucial moment.
Vito’s winning menu featured a main of Scialatielli Allo Scoglio, an Italian seafood pasta with scialatielli, clams, mussels, calamari, and prawns. For dessert, he presented Babà Di Vito, a small cake soaked in rum and served with zabaione, a marsala wine cream, and cherries in syrup.
Talking about his menu, Vito says: “One day, my family and I went to Positano and we had this Scialatielli Allo Scoglio, just eating in front of the sea. It was one of the best days ever, so I want to bring that day to MasterChef. The dessert is Babà, which is like my mum and my Nonna used to make for me on Sunday.”
Vito follows in the footsteps of previous winners: Wynne Evans, Lisa Snowdon, Kadeena Cox MBE, Riyadh Khalaf, Greg Rutherford, John Partridge, Angellica Bell, Alexis Conran, Kimberly Wyatt, Sophie Thompson, Ade Edmondson, Emma Kennedy, Phil Vickery, Lisa Faulkner, Jayne Middlemiss, Liz McClarnon, Nadia Sawalha, and Matt Dawson.