She first rose to fame as one of the fun-loving lasses of Geordie Shore – now Charlotte Crosby is whipping up a storm on Celebrity MasterChef. Starring alongside the likes of Steps’ Ian “H” Watkins and This Morning’s Craig Doyle, Charlotte, 34, will be one of the 20 celebs being put through their paces by judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace.
Here, the star opens up to Closer about her cooking skills, being mum to Alba, one, and wedding planning with fiancé Jake Ankers, 32.
How was Celebrity MasterChef?
Anything that’s competition-based is bad news for me, because I’m so competitive! The stress levels are high, the urge to win is soul destroying. It just takes over.
Any dark horses in the line-up?
They were all little tw*ts, because they lied through their teeth [laughs]. I walked into that room and Edith [Bowman’s] saying, “Oh, I’m not that good at cooking;” H from Steps is adding, “I never cook”. Craig [Doyle] made out as if he could only knock up a sandwich! At that point I was thinking, “I’m going to win this show”. They all just played bluff.
Any kitchen mishaps?
There were some bad times in the kitchen. I had quite a lot of tears. I feel a bit embarrassed looking back at it. Like, why did I cry? Nobody else cried on MasterChef! Yeah, there was a bit of a tough time.
Which three celebs would you love to cook for?
Louie Spence, because he’s fun. Rihanna, because she says she likes chicken, so I could cook fajitas. The next celebrity would be David Attenborough – he’d like my dogs.
Who is better in the kitchen, you or Jake?
Jake cannot cook to save his life!
What’s your trademark dish?
My chilli. My mam taught us this secret ingredient she uses, and everyone says it smells so good. But I use the sachet powder spice to season it, which is cheating a bit.
You opened up last year about weaning. Is Alba a good eater?
Alba’s a great eater! She can be fussy sometimes – I don’t think any kids really like their vegetables. But Alba does like raw peppers and hot peas, so we’ve got a couple of veggies in there. She also loves fresh salmon. But I can’t lie – sometimes the fish fingers do still go in the air fryer!
How are you finding being a mum?
I love motherhood, it’s honestly the best. I’d like to have three children. Of course, you never know whether you’re going to be able to. I had an ectopic pregnancy so I was always worried that I wouldn’t be able to even have one. Then I had Alba, and that was amazing. Hopefully the three can happen – but if only one can happen, it’s perfect.
Is it hard parenting in the spotlight?
In the first couple of months it was daunting. If I was caught out doing something a little bit wrong, I just felt really hurt and deflated. Whereas now, I’m so confident in motherhood. If someone tries to tell me how to suck eggs, I tell them to f**k off, because I have raised a lovely, funny, chatty, intelligent little girl who is reaching all her milestones.
You love Australia – would you ever relocate Down Under?
I do a lot of work out there, but I couldn’t leave anytime soon. I’ve got too many ties here: my warehouses, my studios, my businesses. Even when I’m older, I still don’t think I could ever leave my family and friends. The only way I’d ever move is if I could take everyone with us. I know some people whose parents move away when their children are in their 30s, and I’m like, “What the hell?” I’m literally going to be Alba’s stalker for the rest of her life, until I’m dead. She won’t be able to get rid of us.
How was your engagement party earlier this year?
It was fab! We had everyone there. On the night, it did stress me out a little bit, because it’s hard to feel like you’ve spoken to everyone when they’ve all the made effort to travel. You do feel like you’re getting pulled from pillar to post. What I enjoyed most was that we had a little stay in a hotel, so my best friends and me all went to the spa the next day. It was so lovely to have that time with them.
Are you busy wedding planning?
We are planning to get married in 2026. We want to look for our venue at the end of this year.
Will you use your MasterChef skills to self-cater the wedding?
No way, I couldn’t think of anything worse!
Celebrity Masterchef will return to BBC One this summer.