Celebrity MasterChef’s Ian ‘H’ Watkins reduced to tears by ‘car crash’ pastry mishap
H from Steps was left devastated after a kitchen mishap (BBC)
Steps legend Ian ‘H’ Watkins has been competing on Celebrity MasterChef and he’s been doing pretty well – until last night (15 August), when disaster struck.
On Thursday’s episode of the BBC series, Watkins was competing against This Morning‘s Craig Doyle, Geordie Shore‘s Charlotte Crosby, and radio presenter Edith Bowman.
Watkins was paired with Doyle for a challenge where they both had to make matching cannolis stuffed with ricotta cream.
During a tense moment, Watkins’ pastry crumbled spectacularly and he thought he was done for. Watkins said: “Oh no, I’ve just squished it. Oh my God, this is a car crash.”
But, judge John Torode told Watkins that despite an inauspicious start, the cannolis still tasted “great”. A shocked and visibly emotional H replied: “Oh my God, really?”
And it turned out that Watkins’ tasty treats were enough to keep him in the competition, as Crosby was the one eliminated in this week’s Celebrity MasterChef.
Watkins previously said that he was swapping pop music for cooking because he “wanted a challenge”.
He told the BBC: “I am known by my friends and family for not being able to cook up until this point! When it comes to cooking, I’d say that I’m an expert with the air fryer and the microwave, so I wanted to take on Celebrity MasterChef to develop a skill that I could involve my children and family with going forward.”
When did Ian ‘H’ Watkins come out?
Watkins came out publicly as gay in 2007, just before appearing on Celebrity Big Brother.
Other members of Steps had known about his sexuality and would help him deflect questions from the media about his sexuality and relationships before he was ready to speak out about his identity.
“I felt massive pressure to keep my sexuality a secret but I was not alone,” Watkins told PinkNews in 2017.
Does H from Steps have children?
Watkins is not married currently but has been in a relationship with former dancer and current tour manager Tom Hope.
Watkins was with his former partner Craig Ryder for ten years from 2007 to 2017, when they split up.
Ryder and Watkins share custody of their twin boys, Macsen and Cybi Ryder-Watkins, who were born via surrogate in 2016.
While on Celebrity MasterChef, Watkins was asked whether he ever cooks for his sons, to which he said: “I buy chicken ready sliced and cooked and I’ll put a microwave veg bag in. Don’t judge me, I’m sorry!”
He added that he wanted his kids to be “proud” of his appearance on Celebrity MasterChef and that the next chapter of his life would be entirely “about family”.
Why is H from Steps called “H”?
The stage name H comes from a nickname given to him in school originating from his “hyperactive” and upbeat personality; hopefully that same personality will help him to bounce back from the stressful pastry incident.
The three new episodes of Celebrity MasterChef will air individually on TV on BBC One on Tuesday 13, Thursday 15, and Friday 16 August (tonight) at 9pm. You can catch up here.
