Busted singer Matt Willis admitted he was under extra pressure when he took on the challenge of ITV's Cooking with the Stars - for a very special reason. The star joined the line-up of celebrities aiming to transform from amateur cooks to master chefs.
The Italian-theme didn't go quite as planned for Matt, who went up against Coronation Street's Samia Longchambon in the first round and saw the judges prefer her efforts over his lamb chops served with garlic and white bean mash. He then faced Peter Andre in a cook-off and was challenged to make cannoli to a recipe neither man had seen before.
His time on the show saw him have a TV reunion with wife Emma, who is hosting the cookery challenge alongside Tom Allen. They last worked together when they appeared on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here Now! in 2007, when they were still dating.
Matt was mentored by chef Shelina Permalloo, who is a friend of Emma's.
He said: "It's a lot of pressure for everyone but no-one else has got their wife watching them! Emma knows Shelina so I've met her before. I don't know if she has the most faith in me in the kitchen!"
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Later, he joked that he was finding the show tough. He said: "I heard the words it's a right laugh, so far I've not seen that. I'm worried about every single aspect of this dish, every single thing scares me a bit"
Tasked with judging his efforts, chef and restauranteur April Jackson praised Matt's presentation while Jack Stein said he was "very surprised" by how well his lamb was cooked. He said it was a simple dish but most of it was executed well.
The married couple kept it strictly professional on the show. But after Emma told the contestants they had only a few minutes left to prepare their dishes, co-presenter Tom asked her: "Can you imagine giving him time calls at home when he's making the dinner?"
"Matt, ten minutes to dinner" - that's what I say," Emma responded. She also admitted it was "really weird" referring to her husband by his full name instead of just Matt.
Matt was sent home when the judges - after a blind tasting - preferred Peter's attempt at the Italian pastry. He said he had a "really good time" on the show and declared: "I like cooking now."
