Rachel Stevens, who was runner-up on Strictly Come Dancing nine years ago, is back on screen next week, testing her talents in a different setting -  in the kitchen rather than the dance floor.

The singer, who sprang to fame with the band S Club 7, dons a white apron in the new series of Celebrity MasterChef, which begins on BBC1 tonight.

Ms Stevens,whose heat will be shown next Wednesday, will be taking on 19 other celebrities, including the comedian Vic Reeves, former world snooker champion Stephen Hendry and opera star Lesley Garrett.

Can she bowl over the judges with a fine-dining twist on chicken soup, serve up a chopped liver to die for or even – a true novelty MasterChef – produce fish gefilte’d rather than pan-fried?