Channel 5 News says sorry for announcing Celebrity MasterChef before the show was aired
Channel 5 News has apologised for revealing the winner of Celebrity MasterChef before the programme had been broadcast.
Minutes before the show was due to air, Channel 5 News mistakenly announced the winner, Loose Women star Judi Love.
She beat Oti Mabuse, Joey Essex, Neil Ruddock and Su Pollard for the prize.
The broadcaster tweeted: “We would like to say sorry for mistakenly announcing the winner of BBC1’s Celebrity MasterChef before it was revealed on the programme tonight,” tweeted Channel 5 News on its official account later in the evening.
The programme is a BBC One hit, and the cooking show racks up over five million viewers based on previous finals.
One unhappy viewer tweeted: “Just settling down to watch #CelebrityMasterChef but Channel 5 News just announced the winner … not impressed.”
Another complained: “”It’s like watching Match of the Day after you’ve seen the scores” .
News programmes are often issued advance copies of programmes, or embargoed press releases filled with information, to help them prepare material for their bulletins.
This is not the first time cooking show finales have been spoiled. South African restaurateur Prue Leith spoiled the Great British Bake Off winner on Twitter in 2017.