Why have you decided to sign up for the show?
It’s quite a simple reason - this year I’m celebrating 30 years in the entertainment industry and I’m also 50. And because of those two milestones I want to tick off some things on the bucket list. One of them is to do an album, one of them is to do a film which I started over a year ago, and one of them was to do a cooking show. Masterchef has very kindly approached us a few times in the past and I was always too scared. I heard about the concept of this show and that you have a chef guiding you and you get to call them in and whatever happens you’re going to learn all these magnificent things. I knew it was going to be tough because there are going to be people who cook at home and who have cooked a lot more.

How would you describe your cooking abilities? How would you rate your abilities on a scale of 1 to 5?

I cook at home but it’s always the same five dishes - the standard five dishes which I do every week. The kids love it and I’m used to it but the difference is that I do it in my own time. I sometimes put things in the oven and don’t have to worry about it until later in the day. It’s very different doing it within a time limit. And being taught by someone who is really amazing at their craft and you’ve got to try and not let them down - that’s tough but it’s a part of the experience.

Do you like going out for dinner? Would you consider yourself a foodie?

100%. I love food, it’s everything in my life. I grew up in a big Greek family and the kitchen was always the hub of the house and everything was based around food. Whenever I think of food, I think of joy, family, friends, and generally feel good. I’ve always loved food and all different cultures’ food.

What is your favourite cuisine?

There are so many. I love Italian food, I’ve always felt drawn to it. I love the flavours of Italy because there are elements of the Mediterranean but I also love Middle Eastern food because there are elements of the Mediterranean. If the food is done right, it’s too hard to pick!

Do you have a bit of a guilty pleasure when it comes to food?

I love cooking all my food fresh but I also love chocolates and donuts. For me, as long as it’s food, I’ll have it.

Have you ever had any cooking disasters at home?

Many times when I’ve done those five dishes I spoke about, I’ve got them spot on but sometimes it hasn’t turned out right. I’ve never been perfect at cooking but I’ve always managed to do good-enough food that the kids love. There have been times where oil has splashed on me - it hasn’t given me any lasting burns but horrible.

Have there been any funny moments or cooking disasters yet during filming?

We’ve had some great moments. I’m working with Rosemary Shrager - you cannot find anyone more hilarious! She is brilliant. She’s so good because she’ll tell you she loves you and be annoyed at you within the same five seconds. All of the chefs are lovely - I’ve met Jean-Christope a few times, he’s such a lovely man. But Rosemary, her personality just works. When she tells me off, you kind of want to do what she says - she’s doing it with love. I can't explain it, she’s just brilliant. We got a phone call from Ian Botham in the middle of one of the cooks because he happens to call Rosemary and we’re just having a good old chat while I’m learning to cook. She had Johnny Vegas ring one day. There are some great moments. You’ll see me running backwards and forwards - I’ve actually learnt how to do the moonwalk!

Do you feel like you’re learning a lot in the process?

100% because all of the things I thought I knew, for example in our culture we put a lot of salt in our food, we love salt but as I’ve been bringing up the children I’ve been trying to put a lot less salt in food so I’ve cut right back. Rosemary not only puts the amount of salt I used to put in but much more. She says ‘You need to season your food.’ One of the things she has taught me is that your instinct is correct, you know the flavour. I’ve realised when it comes to pleasing chefs, you need to put more than you think.

If you were hosting a dinner party and could invite three famous faces, who would they be?

Elvis Presley, the Queen and Nelson Mandela.

Who did you think could be your main competition when you met your fellow celebs for the first time?

Knowing these people and knowing they love food, I imagine they’re going to know what tastes good. Matt, I’ve known for years. Chris Eubank, at least 20 years I’ve known him for. All of the others that I don’t know, are they secret chefs? Whatever happens, I think we’re all here because we have a love of food. Therefore, we’re all going to start off not great and improve or start great and stay great or start off great and drop down - we don’t know which way it’s going to go!

Would you describe yourself as competitive?

I was saying all along that I’m not competitive but then I got in the kitchen for the first time! I’m competitive in the sense that I want to make a nice dish but competitive in the sense that I have to beat that particular person, that hasn’t kicked in but we’re only at the start.