Ex-Coronation Street actress Debra Stephenson will be among the stars taking part in a new series of Celebrity MasterChef this summer. Debra, who played Frankie Baldwin in the hit ITV1 soap, will be joined by other soap favourites including former co-star Wendi Peters, ex-EastEnder Chris Parker and Brookside actors Steven Pinder and Louis Emerick. Ex-Holby City heartthrob Mark Moraghan will also be trying to impress judges Gregg Wallace and John Torode in the celebrity edition of the cookery challenge series, to be shown on BBC1. All the soap stars will be hoping to beat off stiff competition from actors Linda Robson, Vicki Michelle and Clare Grogan, musicians Liz McLarnon, DJ Spoony and Claire Richards, sports personalities Denise Lewis and Noel Whelan and presenters Andi Peters, Andrew Castle, Michael Buerk, Kaye Adams, Julia Bradbury and Josie D'Arby. More than six million viewers watched ex-barrister James Nathan win the title of MasterChef earlier this year. Series editor Karen Ross said: "As viewers would have seen from last year's series and from all the MasterChef programmes, this competition is really tough and the standard of some of this year's cooking has been inspiring. "All participants share a passion for food but cooking for a busy lunchtime service in top London restaurants is very different when you're on the other side of it."
