New MasterChef: The Professionals host Matt Tebbutt previously made a rare admission about his marriage to wife Lisa.
52-year-old Matt – who takes over on the BBC series tonight (February 10) following Gregg Wallace’s axe – spoke about Lisa during a podcast appearance in 2023.
And, as well as admitting there were times when it was “touch and go” between the pair, he also revealed that before meeting Lisa, he actually went out with her sister. Talk about keep it in the family!
MasterChef: The Professionals host Matt Tebbutt on life with wife Lisa
Matt and Lisa wed in 1999 and have been married for 26 years now. They have two children together – son Henry, 21, and daughter Jessie, 23.
And, although they seem an idyllically happy family in their Instagram moments, Matt previously revealed that they’ve had their moments.
Back in 2023, Matt made an appearance on the Grilled By The Staff Canteen podcast. At the time, they were approaching their 24th wedding anniversary. Matt said: “Currently nearly 23 years, it’ll be 24 this year. Well done me, go me. Sometimes it’s touch and go, let’s be honest. But, so far, we’re still here,” he joked.
The star was then probed on the origins of his relationship with Lisa. “I used to go out with her sister – fun fact!” he revealed. Fellow chef Anna Haugh, who was also on the podcast, found the confession amusing. “How did I not know that? That is so you, well done,” she said.
However, Matt seemed keen to steer away from the subject as he urged: “Next!”
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‘She wears the trousers’
Matt and Lisa keep largely tight-lipped about their private life.
The couple used to run a pub turned restaurant together, but stepped back from the business to gain a better work-life balance.
Matt previously told The Mirror: “Working alongside each other was tough, but we’re still together. We worked well as a team – Lisa is great with people, whereas I’m the bolshie chef in the kitchen. She definitely wears the trousers, no question… followed by my daughter!”
From Saturday Kitchen to MasterChef: The Professionals
Tonight, Matt takes over from Gregg Wallace on MasterChef: The Professionals.
He’ll join regular judges Marcus Wareing and Monica Galetti on the BBC One series.
Speaking about filming his first-ever series, Matt said: “I’m walking through the MasterChef doors for the first time myself and I cannot wait to see the cooking talent this year’s chefs are bringing into the kitchen. I want to be wowed from the off, but it will take some serious work to get through the competition that awaits them.”
He added to the BBC: “The thing that stood out for me was just how invested these chefs are and how much work goes into it for them outside of filming. The chefs have got their family life, they’ve got their restaurant, or whatever their business is, so they’re dealing with that as well throughout. They’ve got to go away and practice their dishes and their skills on top of everything else. And then they have to come back and, you know, produce the goods in front of the three of us, or the critics and then some, once they progress.
“Their commitment was clear. And it was also clear to see how much they changed from week one to week seven – the progression was enormous. You could easily think of MasterChef that, yes, it’s just a TV show. But for these chefs, it’s so much more than that. There’s a lot at stake a. And they take it very, very seriously. It’s really good to see!”
Read more: Matt Tebbutt on health battle he’s ‘losing’: ‘I’m trying to fight it’
MasterChef: The Professionals is on BBC One tonight (February 10) at 8pm.
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