Matt Tebbutt Recalls 'Brutal' MasterChef Sacking

Matt Tebbutt, former host of MasterChef The Professionals, has spoken out about the "brutal" circumstances surrounding his dismissal from the BBC show. Tebbutt, 52, was axed after a single series, a decision he found particularly jarring as he was informed the day before he was due to appear on The One Show to discuss the program.

"They went in a different direction. Now I get it TV changes, ideas change. New people come in, totally understand that. But don't tell me the day before I was due to go on The One Show. I was told at 5pm and I was going the next day to go and do The One Show and all the press around it," Tebbutt recounted on the Go To Food podcast. He described the timing as "badly handled."

Tebbutt, who replaced Gregg Wallace as the host for the 18th edition of the series alongside judges Marcus Wareing and Monica Galetti, stated that he felt "f*****g livid" upon hearing the news. He refused to proceed with his scheduled appearance on The One Show, explaining that he would not have been able to conceal his anger from the hosts and viewers.

"I'm not doing that f**k off. Because when lovely Alex Jones sits there and goes: 'oh you know, what's going on? Tell me about the series, what's happening next year?' I don't have a poker face. You will know I'm going to be cross so I said no I'm not doing that," he said.

Speaking previously to BBC Radio 4's The Food Programme, Tebbutt acknowledged that his exit was difficult. "I was really upset. And it could have been handled a lot better. But it is what it is," he stated, adding that he felt it was important to be resilient and that such events are "part of the game."

He drew a parallel to the experience of politicians, suggesting that criticism and setbacks are to be expected. "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."

Tebbutt mentioned that he enjoyed his time on the show but was aware it was a challenging role, especially following the departure of Wallace due to historical allegations of workplace misconduct.

"Walking into such an established show, whatever had happened before, you don't want to be that guy that turns up and steamrollers everything," Tebbutt explained. "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."

He cited forming bonds with the contestants as a highlight of his tenure. "I got really invested in the chefs," he admitted. "You see how hard these chefs work and then they have families, and then they go home and have these proper jobs and they still have to practice. They've got a lot resting on this."

The BBC has been contacted for comment by the Daily Mail.