Matt Tebbutt declares his MasterChef: The Professionals exit 'could have been handled a lot better'
The presenter said he was 'really upset' over his axe
Matt Tebbutt has admitted he was “really upset” over his MasterChef: The Professionals axe, declaring: “It could’ve been handled a lot better.”
The chef, who still hosts Saturday Kitchen Live on BBC One, first addressed his exit from the show back in March. His statement came after rumours started circulating that he had been axed.
At the time, Matt said that he was “only ever doing one series” of the cooking show. However, now he appears to have U-turned on his statement.
MasterChef: The Professionals host Matt Tebbutt ‘upset’ over axe
Matt replaced disgraced Gregg Wallace as host of the 18th edition of the professional series, alongside Marcus Wareing and Monica Galetti. However, despite viewers raving over his inclusion on the show, he confirmed that he wouldn’t be returning.
Now, speaking to BBC Radio 4’s The Food Programme, Matt told presenter Jaega Wise that the attention surrounding his exit was hard to deal with.
“It was, yes, of course it is [difficult]. I mean, I’m not going to say I wasn’t upset. I was really upset. And it could have been handled a lot better. But it is what it is,” he said.
“You know, there’s worse things going on. You’ve got to be pretty resilient. It’s part of the game, really. I guess it’s like if you’re a politician, you’re going to get knocks. So it’s just par for the course, I think.”
‘It was a lot’
Matt added that he “really enjoyed” presenting the show. But went into it knowing it was “a tough gig” following Gregg Wallace’s departure.
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“Walking into such an established show, whatever had happened before, you don’t want to be that guy that turns up and steamrollers everything,” said Matt.
“To then go in and get to know the personalities of Monica and Marcus, and get to know the crew and still do your job and deliver, it was a lot.”
‘Three was a bit of a crowd’
Earlier this year, Matt addressed his MasterChef: The Professionals exit after rumours started circulating that he had been axed.
Posting to social media, he said: “A lot of lovely people have contacted me about not doing the next series of MasterChef: The Professionals. I was only ever doing one series and I loved judging on it and will continue working with MasterChef.”
At the time, insiders speculated that the format of having three judges proved to be a mistake. A source told The Sun: “Three was a bit of a crowd. He didn’t do anything wrong and will definitely come back to the series as a guest in the future.
“But bosses simply realised that they could get away with just having Marcus and Monica at the helm, especially as their chemistry is great and they have a tight relationship.”
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