Television presenter Jean Johansson is a contestant on this year’s series of Celebrity MasterChef, appearing in her first episode on Thursday 30th August. “It all started at the begining of this year, I was talking to my agent and I mentioned that the two shows I would do from the unscripted reality side of television were Celebrity Mastermind or Celebrity MasterChef” Jean explained to Glasgowist. “My agent then made sure my name was in the mix with the people doing the casting and I think the fact I’m working across a couple of BBC shows at the moment helped.” Jean – who lives in Glasgow with her husband, football coach Jonatan, and their son Junior – is a presenter on popular daytime programme Animal Park and country magazine show Landward.
She is a self-professed fan of the culinary competition. “Myself and Jonatan, we watch it all! MasterChef and the professionals series. Any version. It’s such a good show.”
Even for someone who has grown up in front of the camera, stepping into the Celebrity MasterChef kitchen for the first time was a surreal experience. “It was so strange. There’s a sort of a holding room when we arrived and I was the first one there. It was so strange with all these celebrities then walking in. People who I watch on telly, who I’m fans of, coming in and us all being in the same show. That was weird.”
“And then when you get taken down to the kitchen and it’s that exact kitchen you’ve watched a million times, and you’re stood there yourself. I was scared I was going to get the giggles. Seeing John and Greg talking to us for the first time, it felt like an out of body experience.”
When filming got underway, it took a while to embrace the competitive part of the show. “I’d forgotten it was a competition” she says. “I’d been focusing so much on just getting my cooking right, I’d forgotten, but then… I can’t name anybody, but there was another contestant in my group who was really competitive, and he sort of reminded me that it was actually a competition, and I had to be better than everyone else. It sort of kicked in later on, definitely, that competitive streak.”
When filming started, did she forget that the cameras were there? “I’ve heard that happens to people who go onto Big Brother, and I’m a Celebrity. I kind of found that quite hard to buy, but you do. I did forget they were there.”
She also had to fight against her presenter instincts. “My first problem was that I kept turning to address the camera. Being a presenter, that’s always what I would do, look down the lens and start talking. They had to stop me and say “no, no, we’re observing you. Stop being a presenter. It took me a while to adjust.”
“Often, it wasn’t the cameras that put me off. It was Greg or John talking to you while you’re doing something. That’s what throws you, because they are professional chefs and they are watching you.
“Normally, I’d quite happily chop an onion, but when John Torode is stood there, all of a sudden, I’d forgotten how to use a knife, and which way to do it. But that’s what puts the pressure on.”
Jean also enjoyed the spirit of camaraderie on the show with her fellow contestants. “We were together a lot. I didn’t account for that. I’m allowed to say, we got sent to a central London restaurant, so we were in charge of starter, main course, and desert for one of the tasks.”
“So that really helped us become a team, because we had to put out those lunch orders as guests were coming in, as normal.
“There was a lot of pressure. Blood, sweat and tears. We bonded over that task. I’ve made a couple of really good friends that I didn’t expect, but there was tears and everything in that kitchen. There’s a lot of emotion. You just get close to each other quite quickly. That was a nice bonus that I wasn’t expecting from being on the show.
The whole experience has inspired Jean to spend more time cooking at home and thinking about ingredients. “Before we would just buy prepacked salmon. Now I’ll stand and chat to my fishmonger about what’s come in, in the morning, and try out different fish, consider ways of cooking it.
“Same with the butcher. I’ll now be looking for the best cuts, and considering how to cook them. It’s just made me think a bit more. When I get the chance to cook properly, I enjoy taking my time, laying all the ingredients out, following a recipe. It’s changed the way I cook at home.”
Next week, The Saturdays singer Frankie Bridge, actor John Partridge, entertainer Anita Harris, Made In Chelsea alumnus Spencer Matthews and Jean Johansson will be doing their best to show off their culinary skills over two episodes. Tune in at 8pm on Thursday 30th August and 8.30pm on Friday 31st August.
The contestants on Celebrity MasterChef 2018 are Michelle Ackerley, Chizzy Akudolu, Keith Allen, Clara Amfo, Martin Bayfield, Jay Blades, Frankie Bridge, Gemma Collins, Josh Cuthbert, Carol Decker, Anita Harris, Jean Johansson, Zoe Lyons, Spencer Matthews, Lisa Maxwell, Monty Panesar, Stella Parton, John Partridge, AJ Pritchard and Stef Reid.