Grace Dent reflects on the 'utter male energy' of MasterChef as she brings it into a new era

Celebrity MasterChef begins tonight, and it will be the final series to feature John Torrode. The presenter and fellow former co-host Gregg Wallace were sacked earlier this year following investigations into their behaviour.

Food critic Grace Dent has previously appeared as a guest judge on the long-running series, but will now take the reins of both the celebrity edition and regular MasterChef - Anna Haugh will join her for the regular iteration.

As John and Gregg depart, 52-year-old Grace has been reflecting on her new role as permanent host of the show and her relationship with the former presenters.

"MasterChef was a very male place for the whole time I was there," she shares, in conversation with The Sunday Times. "Utter male energy all the time," she says of the show's previous environment with John and Gregg hosting.

Speaking of hosting alongside celebrity chef Anna Haugh, Grace says, "To be there now with a woman by my side, it'll be fantastic."

Revealing that she cried when offered the MasterChef hosting job, Grace calls the series, "The biggest and most important food show on British television."

Understandably, she's upset by the criticism the show has come under in recent years. "One of the saddest parts for me about what has happened in the last two years is watching something that I love, and I know is pretty damn perfect, be kicked repeatedly," she says.

"I want to be at the helm of this show, and I want us back in the headlines for all the right reasons," she says of being one of the women to bring it into a new era.

Despite the "maleness" Grace felt when working as a guest critic on the show, she looks back on her relationship with John Torrode with affection.

"I absolutely adore John Torode," she says. Grace continues. "He is one of the kindest, most concerned, clever, thoughtful men that I know."

In discussing her thoughts on Gregg Wallace, Grace appears more guarded with her words. "He was always a very, very big character," she says carefully.

She suggests that after reading the entire report into the allegations made against Gregg, her recollections of having a nice time with him on set are "irrelevant."

"He said an awful lot, and that was during the point where I was starting my new [MasterChef] job and I utterly cut myself off from all that," she explains.

Not only is Grace entering a new job, she's taking on a high-profile job as a midlife woman - something that can often seem unusual. "This isn't middle age for me," she says, adding, "this is my main character era."

That is a mantra all midlife women should live by.

Celebrity MasterChef begins on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on November 17 at 9pm.