Who is Jimmy Bullard? Meet Celebrity MasterChef 2022 contestant and Soccer AM host
The former footballer is swapping the pitch for the MasterChef kitchen.
Celebrity MasterChef 2022 is set to return to our screens tonight after last week's episode was cancelled following news of the Queen's death.
This week, two episodes will air back-to-back, meaning we won't have to wait long to find out who makes it to Finals Week. Only seven celebrities remain in the competition, including former footballer Jimmy Bullard – and his black gloves, of course.
Jimmy will be hoping to impress John Torode, Greg Wallace and Mary Berry in tonight's episode, with the former Bake Off judge setting the contestants a special challenge.
Jimmy will want to avoid Lesley Joseph's fate, as she became the latest star to be eliminated last week. He'll be up against the likes of Call the Midwife's Cliff Parisi, Love Island's Faye Winter and All Saints star Melanie Blatt, who have also impressed the judges in the past.
Luckily, we won't have to wait too long to find out if he makes it to Finals Week or not, as another episode will air straight after the first this week, with the remaining contestants asked to cook up their favourite comfort food dishes.
Here’s everything you need to know as the sporting pro joins the rest of the Celebrity MasterChef 2022 line-up in tonight's semi-final.
Who is Jimmy Bullard?
Age: 43
Job: Former footballer and TV presenter
Instagram: @1jimmybullard
Midfielder Bullard is best known for his stints at Wigan Athletic, helping the club to get promoted to the Premier League for the 2004/5 season, and at Hull City and Fulham, though he started his sporting career at the amateur club Corinthian and has also played for Dartford, Peterborough United and Ipswich Town.
He was part of the England squad in August 2008 for the World Cup 2010 qualifiers against Croatia and Andorra, but ended up not playing in the matches.
His football career came to an end in 2012 while he was signed to Milton Keynes Dons, after suffering a series of knee injuries.
After retiring from football, Bullard has gone on to have a career in television, appearing in the 2014 run of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2014 (aka the one with Gemma Collins) and eventually coming in 10th place, lasting 17 days in the jungle. He has also popped up as a pundit on shows including Goals on Sunday and Match of the Day.
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He featured on the sports-themed panel show Play to the Whistle alongside the likes of Holly Willoughby, Bradley Walsh, Frank Lampard and Romesh Ranganathan, and since 2017 he has been a host on Sky’s Soccer AM. He also made a foray back into football between 2016 and 2017 when he served as the manager of Leatherhead FC.
Bullard also has his own podcast, Off the Hook with Jimmy Bullard, which sees him chat to big names from the world of football while fishing.
When does Celebrity MasterChef 2022 air?
The new season of Celebrity MasterChef 2022 is currently airing, with Bullard's heat having begun on Tuesday 23rd August at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
The semi-finals conclude tonight (15th September), before the finals get going tomorrow.
Celebrity MasterChef airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, and continues on Thursday 15th September at 8:30pm. To find out what else is on TV, check out our TV Guide or visit our hub for more Entertainment news.
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