Taking part in this week's edition of Celebrity MasterChef, Andy Akinwolere took the time to chat to Female First about cooking, going into the competition, his passion for swimming and much more in a new and exclusive interview. Read on to find out what he had to say...
Andy Akinwolere / Credit: BBC
What drew you to getting involved in the new series of Celebrity Masterchef?
I like cooking for friends, but my cooking has never been classed as gourmet or anything like that so I thought I'd give it a go. It really was one of the scariest experiences of my life though, truly nerve wracking. I'm definitely glad I took part in the show, they tried to get me to do it a couple of times in the past but I'd always been out of the country working.
Are you a good chef?
I wouldn't say I'm a good chef at all, more that I enjoy eating food and like making wholesome dishes. I'm from a family of 7 and have been cooking with my mom for years, naturally I can't top any of her dishes but I really enjoy it. Cooking can be a really good way to switch off after a long day filming. Sadly my desserts are pretty awful though!
Do you think your time on The Great Comic Relief Bake Off will help you on the show?
Bake Off is a different beast, although still extremely nerve wracking! It was hell as I'm lactose intolerant so I could barely taste the majority of the stuff I made on that show. I think that baking under pressure will prepare me for Master Chef though. Bake Off was for charity, Master Chef is for people who feel they have the opportunity to take the crown of being best cook.
Who would you love to compete against celebrity-wise if you could pick anybody?
Good question, put me in a kitchen with Beyonce, I mean who wouldn't like to compete against her? Men and women alike. Sadly I doubt there'd be much cooking going on, on my part!
What's your trademark dish that you hope to bring to the show?
For me, the whole idea of Master Chef is to bring something that represents you as a person, I was born in Nigeria and grew up in Birmingham. I'm hoping to make something that's an amalgamation of the two places and cultures. Watch this space.
What's one dish you'd be useless at trying to make?
Anything pastry based, especially desserts. I'm more than sure I'll have to do it on the show and I'm dreading it.
We've seen you in the past conquer huge fears and tackle some amazing feats, what would you like to do next?
There are a few I'd like to take but I think I'm quite exhausted at the moment. I would actually like to see if I can be the vehicle to allow people to conquer some of their deepest fears. Understanding where they come from and to go on a journey that will allow them to alleviate them and transform their lives forever.
Now you're working on a project which hopes to change the current swimming landscape - what can you tell us about that?
It's a little bit like what I've been talking about above. I'm working with some guys called SwimDem crew who use swimming as a way to open up avenues such as the arts, food, fashion and music. Pushing the idea of it being a lifestyle choice as opposed to a sport. We've got a group of swimmers together who've all had different experiences with the water. Some can barely swim, some have never swam and some have a decent technique. The beauty of this project is that I want to focus on the aspects of swimming that people don't ever tackle, body image issues, ethnicities, psychological issues, socio economical issues. We have all of the above in our swim team of young people and adults both male and female. I want the way we view swimming in the UK to change, we always associate it with these chiselled, elite athletes who always look incredibly fit. Sadly they don't look like most people at home. It would be great to see more black swimmers and ethnic minorities in the water too, perhaps some representing GB in future Olympics. It's amazing though to turn a dream into a reality and by the end of this project everyone in our group will be comfortable and be able to swim in deep water. Some who have excelled will join me and take on the mile long Great Manchester Swim in July. We've been very lucky to be sponsored by Speedo and an amazing charity called the Swimming Trust who have helped give us free swimming sessions in the pool and the open water.
At one point you had a fear of swimming in deep water, how much has your life changed since that?
Swimming gave me amazing confidence in the water. I realised it was not my fear of swimming that was the problem but my fear of deep water. I was petrified of it and by facing that fear it allowed me to face other things in my life that have been niggling at me for a while. This project itself was me facing a fear, to step away from TV for a while and create a project and have people believe in me to take them on the Journey of their lives. I'm now looking at the next challenge.
How important is it to encourage people to get into sports such as swimming?
For me swimming is one of the few sports if the only one that can save your life. We have a high number of people drowning in the UK every year, in the developed world these statistics should simply not exist. But the idea is that people realise swimming can also open the door to other water based sports: water polo,water skiing, surfing, diving... the list continues.
Finally, what's next for you?
I regularly present on a show called Inside Out for the BBC, Fort Boyard on CitV is currently running too. I'm currently exec producing a series of shorts for the BBC around swimming which aims to inspire others to take on the sport. In the meantime let's see what happens on Masterchef.
Catch Andy Akinwolere on Celebrity Masterchef on Thursday 2nd of July at 9pm @AndyAkinwo