Samantha Fox shot to fame in 1983 as a glamour model for The Sun newspaper before becoming a singing sensation, going on to sell a whopping 30 million records worldwide. A bona fide national treasure, Samantha’s back in the spotlight this week with a stint on Celebrity MasterChef 2023.
For this penultimate heat, Samantha is joined in the famous kitchen by drag artist Cheryl Hole, singer-songwriter Jamelia, DJ Locksmith, and opera singer and broadcaster, Wynne Evans, all looking to impress judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace with their culinary creations.
As she celebrates 40 years in showbusiness, Samantha, 57, talks exclusively to What To Watch about how the kitchen is her happy place and how she feels about being hailed an icon in 2023…
What made you want to take part in Celebrity MasterChef?
"I've appeared on about four different cooking shows on TV, including Come Dine With Me, but I’ve always wanted to do MasterChef. It was nerve-racking suddenly being in THAT kitchen — when you stand behind your workstation, you're like: 'Oh, wow, this is it. I'm ON MasterChef'. I find cooking at home the most relaxing thing in the world."
Describe your cooking style…
"I love cooking Thai food. I go to Thailand almost every year and stay on an island with no electricity, no phones, and where they cook with a generator. I would go into the kitchen and they’d show me how to prepare massaman curries, green curry, pad thai noodles and chicken satay — so that’s basically where I’ve learned to cook Thai food. I also love to cook classic British dishes like roast dinners and shepherd's pies."
How did you find the first challenge, Under the Cloche?
"I can normally turn 'not a lot' into something really good because I've got a good imagination but I was nervous about this one. I lifted up my cloche to find a red mullet with its head on, looking right at me. I’ve never filleted a fish in my life! I then went to the store cupboard and got some noodles, five spice, ginger, garlic and spring onions. Let’s just say, I was very creative — that could be a good or bad thing, couldn't it?"
You then had to make a two-course meal for a dinner party? What was it like having your food judged by John and Gregg?
"For the dinner party challenge, I wanted to make dishes that families could easily afford to replicate during the current cost of living crisis. I made a cottage pie using my late sister Vanessa’s recipe, followed by my late nan's bread and butter pudding, which John made a cheeky comment about. Bread and butter pudding doesn't look all that pretty until you pour custard on it. John walked past and said: 'That looks like a jumble sale!'
"I had a real rapport with Gregg because both our families had fruit and veg stalls in Chapel Street Market in Islington, North London. Gregg knew a lot of the people I knew, so we had lots in common. He asked me for a selfie and now follows me on Instagram!"
What was the most challenging part of MasterChef?
"There’s a lot more pressure on MasterChef than a show like Come Dine With Me but I've always been good under pressure; when I don't have any pressure I can get a bit lazy. That said, I like to be left alone to cook so I can concentrate — I’m not great at multitasking. One of the most nerve-racking things about MasterChef is when you're in the middle of something and the camera crew comes over to chat. I'm thinking: 'Oh no, not now!' Just having to think about their question and my answer, while not boiling things over or burning anything."
You're known for your 1986 hit Touch Me (I Want Your Body) — do you sing around the kitchen when you cook?
"Yeah, if I’m trying to learn one of my new songs, I’ll often do it while I’m cooking. People know I’m a singer but they wouldn’t have me down as a cook — hopefully after my stint on MasterChef they will. I'm not a sexy cook, though, not while I’ve got a red apron on and a dishcloth in my hand, anyway!"
Have you ever had any major kitchen disasters?
"I left a roast beef joint in the oven once without remembering I’d even put it in and it came out like a tennis ball. I was trying to carve it and it flew straight across the kitchen floor. I had guests and everyone sitting at the dinner table, looked up and said: ‘What was that?’ I replied: ‘Oh, nothing’... then quickly washed it under the tap!"
Who would your dream dinner party guests be, dead or alive?
"I’d have to say Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Sharon Stone, and Freddie Mercury. I once sang with Freddie and we became friends but he got very sick not long after. The offer was always there to sing with him, though, and I’d have loved him to have come to dinner."
If What To Watch came to your house for dinner, what would you cook for us?
"A TV dinner, of course! Just kidding. If there were a lot of you, I would make my sister's cottage pie because everybody loves it. I always do it in a nice big baking tray, so there would probably be lots left over for you to all have seconds!"
Earlier this year, you won an ICON Award for your work in the music and entertainment industry. How did that feel?
"It's amazing to be called an icon. Coming into this business as a model 40 years ago, I never dreamt in a million years I’d still be here, let alone winning an ICON Award. Throughout my career, my mum’s been my rock. During my modeling days, stylists would bring me clothes for photoshoots and mum would tell them: 'Sam doesn't really wear that' or ‘Sam won’t look good in that’. She's always been behind me and has kept my feet firmly on the ground."
Catch Samantha Fox on Celebrity MasterChef, Wednesday-Friday at 9pm on BBC1.
