was left in a state of disbelief and close to tears on the latest episode of after making it through to the semi-final, despite serving up ‘treacle mush’.
During tonight’s episode on BBC One, the Birds of a Feather actress went up against former footballer and Hollyoaks star for a chance to make it through to the next stage of the competition.
When tasked with serving up dishes to former Celebrity MasterChef finalists , , and champion , 76-year-old Lesley did manage to impress with her fish pie, which was praised for its flavours.
However, her treacle tart didn’t go down quite as well, with the competitor lamenting as she prepared it: ‘It’s awful, I’m so sorry. It’s never been like this before.’
‘Unfortunately that’s the curse of the MasterChef kitchen. What could go wrong, can go wrong,’ judge John Torode remarked, as Lesley admitted she felt ‘embarrassed’ taking it in.
Nonetheless, she held her head up high as she presented the dessert, telling the three guests: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, a rather gooey treacle tart.’
The treacle tart appeared too sweet for Andi, Megan and Riyadh, with the former champion admitting he felt as though his teeth were ‘falling out’.
But, judges John and Greg Wallace enjoyed it a whole lot more, with the former saying it was ‘delicious’ and the latter saying: ‘It reminds me of my childhood.’
In the end, Lesley was convinced she hadn’t done enough to earn one of the two spots for the semi-final.
However, after Jimmy was announced as the first semi-finalist, it was then revealed that Lesley had also made it through, meaning Richard had been sent home.
‘I’m sorry, I’m about to cry!’ Lesley exclaimed, fanning her face as emotions ran high.
Later, she shared to the camera just how elated she felt, saying with relief: ‘I am so happy, but I’m blown away. I was not expecting it. I need a cup of tea.’
Several Celebrity MasterChef fans praised Lesley on her progress, with one tweeting: ‘Have really enjoyed watching Lesley Joseph on #CelebrityMasterchef this week & seeing her confidence in her cooking grow from practically non-existent in Task 1! Onwards & upwards for her I hope!’
‘I do actually think Lesley is amazing. 76 and bombing round the kitchen,’ someone else commented.
Celebrity MasterChef returns next Tuesday at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
