Matt Tebbutt Recalls 'Brutal' MasterChef The Professionals Sacking

Matt Tebbutt has described the moment he was sacked from MasterChef The Professionals as "brutal" and "badly handled." The judge, 52, was let go from the show after just one series, despite positive reception from viewers.

Tebbutt revealed on the Go To Food podcast that he felt "f*****g livid" upon learning of his dismissal. The news came just a day before he was slated to appear on The One Show to discuss the MasterChef spin-off. "They went in a different direction," Tebbutt said. "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. Don't tell me that. That's badly handled."

He recounted telling bosses to "fk off" with the idea of him still making the scheduled appearance on The One Show, stating he lacked the ability to conceal his anger. "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. I was annoyed and when I said annoyed, I was fking livid."

Tebbutt, who also hosts Saturday Kitchen, replaced Gregg Wallace for the 18th season of MasterChef The Professionals, joining judges Marcus Wareing and Monica Galetti. Despite positive viewer feedback, he confirmed he would not be returning. Previously speaking to BBC Radio 4's The Food Programme, Tebbutt acknowledged the difficulty of his exit. "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. You know, there's worse things going on. You've got to be pretty resilient. It's part of the game, really," he added.

He drew a parallel to the experiences of politicians, stating, "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 stated that he "really enjoyed" his time on the show, but acknowledged it was a "tough gig," particularly following Wallace's departure. Wallace was dismissed by the BBC in July of the previous year after an investigation into 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 highlighted forming connections with the contestants as a significant aspect of his experience. "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 by the Daily Mail for comment.