Who is in the final of Cooking with the Stars 2022? Contestants with Maura Higgins and who is host Emma Willis

TV personality Maura Higgins, comedian Joe Wilkinson and Chaser Anne Hegerty will be among the celebrities joining Tom Allen and Emma Willis in season two of Cooking with the Stars
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Season two of Cooking with the Stars saw a new group of eight celebrities team up with professional chefs and put their culinary skills to the test.

The first season of the show featured the likes of Shirley Ballas, Denise van Outen, Johnny Vegas, and McFly’s Harry Judd - with the latter going on to win the series.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Cooking with the Stars follows each celebrity and their expert chef mentor who will show them how to prepare and cook several dishes to perfection.

After their crash course, the celebs are then on their own and must cook each dish again - they call on their mentor for help for just two minutes in each challenge.

After each challenge, the mentors judge the contestants’ dishes, choosing one celebrity to save and two to face elimination.

The bottom two chefs must then cook another dish with no help from their mentor - the two dishes are judged by a blind taste test involving all the mentors, and the loser will be sent home.

Who are the Cooking with the Stars hosts?

Tom Allen

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Comedian and presenter Tom Allen is returning to host Cooking with the Stars having co-helmed the first season.

He has previously presented Bake Off The Professionals from season one to four, but was replaced by Stacey Solomon for season five, and became the host of The Apprentice: You’re Fired from season 15.

Tom is also a regular guest on celebrity panel and quiz shows, having appeared on Mock the Week, Hypothetical, 8 Out of 10 Cats, and Would I Lie to You?

Emma Willis and Tom AllenEmma Willis and Tom Allen
Emma Willis and Tom Allen

Emma Willis

Presenter and former model Emma Willis will also be returning with Tom to host the second season of the cooking contest.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She has previously presented Big Brother, Celebrity Big Brother, and spin-off show Big Brother’s Bit on the Side.

Emma’s other presenting gigs include singing contest The Voice UK and game show The Circle.

Who are the contestants?

Maura Higgins

Maura is an Irish TV personality who came to fame after her appearance on season five of Love Island where she came in fourth place alongside Curtis Pritchard.

She took part in season 12 of Dancing on Ice, coming in sixth place with professional dancer Alexander Demetriou.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Maura has also appeared on game shows The Wheel and Celebrity Juice, and hosts makeup competition show Glow Up: Ireland.

Maura’s mentor is Jack Stein

Jack Stein and Maura HigginsJack Stein and Maura Higgins
Jack Stein and Maura Higgins

Anton Du Beke

Ballroom dancer Anton Du Beke was a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing from the first season until season 18.

His best performance came in season 17 when he came in second place alongside actress Emma Barton.

Anton replaced Bruno Tonioli as a permanent judge on Strictly Come Dancing from season 19.

Anton’s mentor is Rosemary Shrager

Rosemary Shrager and Anton Du BekeRosemary Shrager and Anton Du Beke
Rosemary Shrager and Anton Du Beke

Dame Kelly Holmes

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Dame Kelly Holmes is a former middle distance athlete who has won medals representing Britain at world sporting events.

She took bronze in the 800m at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and gold in the 800m and 1,500m at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

She founded the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust to support young athletes and help disadvantaged young people across the UK.

Kelly’s mentor is Ronnie Murray

Ronnie Murray and Dame Kelly HolmesRonnie Murray and Dame Kelly Holmes
Ronnie Murray and Dame Kelly Holmes

Josie Gibson

Josie is a TV personality who became famous after winning season 11 of Big Brother in 2010, appearing on Ultime Big Brother later that year.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She has since appeared on a variety of chat shows including The Wright Stuff, Live from Studio Five, The Vanessa Show, Big Brother’s Bit on the Side, This Morning, and Loose Women.

Her other TV appearances include Celebrity Juice, The Jump, and Celebrity Wedding Planner.

Josie’s mentor is Tony Singh MBE

Tony Singh MBE and Josie GibsonTony Singh MBE and Josie Gibson
Tony Singh MBE and Josie Gibson

Anne Hegerty

Anne is best known for her role as The Governess on quiz show The Chase and its spin-off Beat the Chasers.

She is a competitive quizzer and has appeared on Mastermind, Fifteen to One, Today’s the Day, Are You an Egghead? and Brain of Britain.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Anne took part in season 18 of I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, coming in seventh place.

Anne’s mentor is Jean-Christophe Novelli

Jean-Christophe Novelli and Anne HegertyJean-Christophe Novelli and Anne Hegerty
Jean-Christophe Novelli and Anne Hegerty

Dr Ranj Singh

Ranj is a doctor and TV presenter whose TV career began in 2012 when he created and presented the children’s show Get Well Soon on CBeebies.

He took part in season 16 of Strictly Come Dancing with professional dancer Janette Manrara and came in tenth place.

Ranj has appeared on several panel shows including Celebrity Mastermind, Celebrity Catchphrase, Would I Lie to You? And Richard Osman’s House of Games.

Ranj’s mentor is Clodagh McKenna

Clodagh McKenna and Dr Ranj SinghClodagh McKenna and Dr Ranj Singh
Clodagh McKenna and Dr Ranj Singh

Joe Wilkinson

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Joe is a comedian who has appeared on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown since 2012 and took part in season two of Taskmaster, coming in last place.

He has starred as Jeffrey in season one and three of Sex Education and as Postman Pat in After Life alongside Ricky Gervais.

He also took part in The Great British Bake Off Stand Up to Cancer, where he was named star baker.

Joe’s mentor is Judy Joo

Judy Joo and Joe WilkinsonJudy Joo and Joe Wilkinson
Judy Joo and Joe Wilkinson

Woody Cook

The son of DJ Fatboy Slim and presenter Zoe Ball, Woody made his first TV appearance on season two of The Circle.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He also appeared alongside his mum on Celebrity Gogglebox in 2020 for seven episodes.

Woody is due to follow in his father’s footsteps as he will be performing a DJ set at Glastonbury this month.

Woody’s mentor is Mike Reid

Mike Reid and Woody BallMike Reid and Woody Ball
Mike Reid and Woody Ball

When is Cooking with the Stars on TV?

Cooking with the Stars season two began airing on ITV at 7pm on 7 June, with episodes airing weekly. The final episode of season two will air at 8pm on 12 July.

Episodes will be available to watch on the ITV Hub shortly after they are first broadcast.

Who is in the final?

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Dr Ranj Singh, Josie Gibson and Joe Wilkinson made it to the final of Cooking with the stars as the other five contestants were eliminated over previous weeks.

Will there be another series of Cooking with the Stars?

A third season of Cooking with the Stars has not yet been announced by ITV. Season two of the show was only confirmed in April this year, two months before the show aired.

Watch this space for updates on the fate of a third season of the show.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.