Strictly winner Vito Coppola crowned Celebrity MasterChef champion
Italian professional dancer Vito Coppola has been crowned the 2024 Celebrity MasterChef champion.
His win comes less than a year after he and celebrity partner Ellie Leach lifted the glitterball trophy on BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2023.
The 31-year-old beat Irish TV and radio presenter, Craig Doyle and Line Of Duty actress Rochenda Sandall.
Coppola stormed the channel’s cookery programme by making a main of Italian seafood pasta, scialatielli allo scoglio, and a desert of Baba Di Vito, a small cake soaked in rum and served with zabaione, a marsala wine cream, and cherries in syrup.
“I cannot believe it, look (the trophy) it’s so beautiful,” he said.
“People think that food is just food, but no, I keep saying food is life. It’s the first love of my life, food, and I cannot just wait to share all of this with my family.”
After winning, he rang his grandfather and said in Italian: “Nonno, I won, I won with your ingredients. I came first, I love you.”
MasterChef judges Gregg Wallace and John Torode praised the special dishes he created as he became the 19th person to lift the celebrity trophy.
Torode said: “Vito came into this competition with a purpose he wanted to show us his life on a plate.
“What he’s grown up with, the food he loves and why he loves it, and what he’s done is made us love it too. That’s what good food is all about.”
Wallace said: “He’s in love with creativity. He is something quite special.”
Previous celebrity winners include opera singer Wynne Evans, who is on this season of Strictly, Bottom star Ade Edmondson, and Loose Women star Nadia Sawalha.
Speaking about his menu, Coppola said: “One day, my family and I went to Positano and we had this scialatielli allo scoglio, just eating in front of the sea. It was one of the best days ever, so I want to bring that day to MasterChef.
“The dessert is Baba, which is like my mum and my Nonna used to make for me on Sunday.”
Coppola is partnered with Miranda actor Sarah Hadland for the 2024 series of Strictly.
The pair will perform on the live show for the first time on Saturday as they dance the Quickstep to 9 To 5 by Dolly Parton.
