Gregg Wallace is "chuffed" 'Celebrity MasterChef' finished filming before the coronavirus lockdown.

John Torode and Gregg Wallace

John Torode and Gregg Wallace

The 55-year-old judge has praised the team behind the BBC One celebrity cook-off, who worked extremely hard to wrap up the series before the country restricted movement to help prevent the spread of the deadly respiratory disease.

Speaking to the MailOnline, Gregg explained: "We're chuffed that we finished it! And it really was all hands on deck to get it done."

The production crew had been keeping a close eye on the virus - which started in Wuhan, China back in December - to stay ahead of the spread in case they needed to change their schedule.

Luckily, they were able to finish production before Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a nationwide lockdown last month.

The TV chef added: "As the virus came creeping over the horizon we could see there would be potential problems and we worked very hard to get the series finished.

"We were very careful. There was never any compromising of health and safety. In fact, there was no hint of lockdown at the time we were filming.

"But we were still a little nervous of what may happen and so we managed to get there in the nick of time. In fact, before the government lockdown, 'MasterChef' had locked down!"

Gregg- who judges the show with co-star John Torode - admitted the hard work has been worth it as the upcoming series is the most fun he's ever had working on the long-running show.

He added: "It was a massive giggle. I actually don't think I've had so much fun doing a series as I have this one. There are some seriously big characters!"

Though this year's 'Celebrity MasterChef' contestants are yet to be revealed, it is said Judy Murray is in the line up.

The 59-year-old tennis coach - who is the mother of sporting legend Andy Murray - has reportedly been cooking up a storm trying to impress judges and made some "unlikely friendships"

A source recently : "Producers thought it was a massive coup to bag Judy for the TV contest. Judy has a big fan base and a lot of older women respect her, so will tune in. She loved filming and bonded with the other contestants, making some unlikely friendships.

"The competition this year was tougher than ever with some hard challenges and intricate recipes, pushing the celebs harder than before."

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