New MasterChef: The Professionals judge, Matt Tebbutt, 51, had an interesting encounter with a well-respected individual that his wife, Lisa, had admired as a “real man.” This interaction took place during an appearance on Simon Rimmer’s Pod In The Park earlier this year, where Matt and Olympic champion rower Sir Steve Redgrave, 63, were guests on the Sunday Brunch host’s podcast in June.
During their conversation, Matt, who is taking over for Gregg Wallace on the BBC show, shared a nostalgic moment involving his wife and Sir Steve. He recounted a story from 30 years ago when Lisa, who used to work at a jewelry shop, met Sir Steve and described him to Matt as a “real man” before they were married. This revelation sparked laughter from both Sir Steve and Simon.
Despite Lisa’s admiration for Sir Steve, Matt managed to win her heart, and they have been happily married for over 25 years, with two grown children, daughter Jessie, 22, and son Henry, 20. The couple previously worked together at the Foxhunter pub in Nant-y-derry, Wales, where Matt described their working dynamic as complementary, with Lisa excelling in people skills while he took charge in the kitchen.
While the couple prefers to keep their family life private, Matt recently shared a proud moment from Jessie’s graduation, revealing her academic achievement. He also posted a selfie with his son Henry as he dropped him off at St. Andrews University, humorously comparing the university to Hogwarts in a social media post.
On a recent episode of Saturday Kitchen, Matt announced his new role as a judge on MasterChef: The Professionals, alongside Marcus Wareing and Monica Galetti. This comes after former judge Gregg Wallace was dismissed following multiple allegations of misconduct, including unwelcome physical contact and inappropriate behavior.
Gregg expressed regret for any distress caused by his actions and emphasized that he never intended harm. Additionally, a report confirmed a separate incident involving the use of offensive language towards his co-host, John Torode. Both hosts were removed from their positions, and the BBC has yet to announce their replacements for the main amateur series of the show.