Jaki Graham has put down the mic and picked up a wooden spoon for this year’s Celebrity MasterChef – but how well do you really know her hits?
The chart-topping singer is one of five hopefuls battling it out this week for a coveted semi-final spot.
So can she whip up dishes as confidently as she belts out a chorus? Here’s a closer look at Celebrity MasterChef star Jaki Graham, the songs that made her famous and how she’s getting on in the BBC kitchen.
Who is Jaki Graham on Celebrity MasterChef?
Jaki Graham is 69 years old. She was born in Birmingham and would compete in school talent shows when she was a child.
The star always knew she wanted to be a singer and got her big break thanks to her husband, Tony Ormsby. Tony had seen an advertisement in a newspaper for a singer for a jazz-funk band. And he put Jaki’s name forward.
The audition was a success and Jaki landed the gig after wowing with a rendition of Stevie Wonder’s Superstition. Her career slowly began to snowball from there.
Speaking to StyleBhm, she previously said: “After being in a couple of bands over a number of years, I was spotted by some management who felt I had something. The next thing I know I’m signing to EMI.
“It did take over 10 years to get to that point so I definitely put my apprenticeship in as I like to call it.”
What are Jaki Graham’s songs?
Jaki’s debut solo song, Heaven Knows, was released in 1984. She released her second track, Once More with the Feeling, in the same year.
But her big break came in 1985 when she recorded a duet with David Grant. Could It Be I’m Falling In Love, reached number 5 in the UK singles chart.
This was followed by Round and Around, which peaked at number 9, and she recorded another duet with David called Mated. This reached number 20.
Jaki was now on a roll. Throughout the rest of the 80s, she was in and out of UK charts with hits including Set Me Free. By the 1990s, she had gone international.
You Can Count on Me (For Love), Absolute E-Sensual and Ain’t Nobody went global. She charted in both Australia and America.
What was Celebrity MasterChef star Jaki Graham’s biggest song?
Ain’t Nobody is Jaki’s best-selling song. It is also the one people are most likely to know. It was released in 1994 and, although it peaked at number 44 in the UK, it is very much still recognised today.
Jaki received a number 1 in the US dance charts with the track and hit number 17 in Australia. It peaked at number 11 in Iceland.
However, it was not Jaki who made the song famous. Her version was a cover of the American soul classic by Rufus and Chaka Khan, which was released in 1983.
Interestingly, Jaki credits another song as her most iconic. She picked her earlier hit, Could It Be I’m Falling In Love, when asked which one it would be.
Jaki also told StyleBhm: “Having been raised on soul and Motown, when the opportunity first arose to cover this song (originally by the Detroit Spinners), I thought I can’t touch that, it’s a classic.
“However, they did such a great job on the production that it tends to be our version that’s remembered more.”
Celebrity MasterChef
Jaki is one of this week’s five Celebrity MasterChef contenders, taking on heat 2 alongside Liberty X star Michelle Heaton, Love Island’s Chris Hughes, Hollyoaks actor Jamie Lomas and broadcaster Dawn O’Porter.
Before stepping into the kitchen, she revealed just how much support she’s had at home. “Everybody is so excited that I’m part of this competition,” she said. “I’ve had cards and flowers from my children. I thought, ‘Oh bless them’, so I’d better do alright!”
On Tuesday night, Jaki impressed John Torode and Grace Dent with her chicken livers, though they did call her out for under-seasoned veg. Thankfully, her mum-inspired jerk chicken burger was a much bigger hit.
Tonight, Jaki and the rest of the heat 2 line-up will need to win over Poppy O’Toole – the Michelin-trained chef and social media queen of all things potato.
But by the end of the episode, one celeb will be sent packing…
Read more: Celebrity MasterChef’s Gaz Choudhry fails to impress Grace Dent and John Torode and is sent home
Celebrity MasterChef continues at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Wednesday November 26, 2025.
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