Amy Walsh ‘Beyond Gutted’ Over Canceled 2024 Celebrity Christmas Special
Emmerdale star Amy Walsh has expressed her heartbreak after learning that her highly anticipated appearance on Celebrity MasterChef Christmas Cook Off has been pulled from the BBC One schedule. The actress, known for playing Tracy Robinson on the ITV soap, was set to join other celebrities like former Love Island star Luca Bish, The Wanted’s Max George, and comedian Shazia Mirza in the festive special, which was due to air over the Christmas period.
The BBC has shelved the episode, along with another holiday special, MasterChef Meets Strictly Festive Extravaganza. The decision follows allegations of inappropriate sexual comments made against co-host Gregg Wallace, who presents MasterChef alongside John Torode. Although his lawyers have denied the accusations, stating, “It is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature,” the BBC opted to pull the special as a precaution, reported by the Manchester Evening News.
Amy took to Instagram to express her disappointment, writing, “Beyond gutted about this decision after all the hard work we all put in. Sorry to confirm they won’t be showing our Celebrity Christmas Special 2024! When we can I’ll try and share some pics of what I made, maybe I’ll recreate it for you all in my kitchen”, reported by the Sun.
Luca Bish also shared his feelings about the delay on social media, writing, “Christmas is cancelled. Gutted our Christmas special has been put on hold but hope to be on your screens again soon.” Amy, visibly upset, commented on Luca’s post using heart-broken emojis.
The MasterChef Meets Strictly special was also set to feature Strictly Come Dancing professionals Amy Dowden, Gorka Marquez, Kai Widdrington, and Nancy Xu. However, the BBC spokesperson confirmed that, “The celebrity Christmas specials are obviously a different type of show and in the current circumstances, we have decided not to broadcast them.”
The delay of the Christmas specials comes after MasterChef’s production company, Banijay UK, revealed last week that Gregg Wallace has stepped back from the show while an investigation is underway. Despite this, the regular MasterChef: The Professionals series will continue as scheduled.