From the pitch to the pass
The 40‑year‑old, who retired from rugby in 2023 after a record‑breaking international career, will be one of 15 famous faces competing for the coveted Celebrity MasterChef trophy.
Jones joins a star‑studded cast including singer Alfie Boe, actor Jamie Lomas, pop star Michelle Heaton, author Dawn O’Porter, and Paralympian Gaz Choudhry. The series will also welcome new judge Grace Dent alongside long‑time host John Torode.
Over five weeks of heats, quarter‑finals and semi‑finals, the celebrities will be pushed far beyond their comfort zones in a bid to impress the judges and secure a place in Finals Week.
(Image: BBC / Shine TV.)
A new challenge after rugby
For Jones, the kitchen represents a very different kind of pressure. Since hanging up his boots, the former Ospreys and British & Irish Lions captain has spoken openly about the challenges of adjusting to life after professional sport.
Speaking on the High Performance podcast earlier this year, he admitted:
“I’ve had to learn to live again being around more… When you’ve been told what to eat, what to wear throughout your career you do become institutionalised. It’s a bit like a jigsaw puzzle with no picture on it.”
Jones also revealed he underwent surgery for atrial fibrillation, a heart condition diagnosed at the end of his playing days, and continues to monitor his health closely.
Beyond the game
Since retirement, Jones has combined punditry work for the BBC with a role as Strategic Advisor to Swansea University’s National Network for Innovation in Sport and Health. He has also ventured into the food and drink industry, launching his own coffee‑infused rum liqueur, Mimosa Rwm Espiritu, now stocked in Tesco and Morrisons across Wales.
Cooking up a new chapter
Celebrity MasterChef marks another step in what Jones himself has described as a “career evolution.” While he once led Wales out at Principality Stadium, this autumn he’ll be facing the heat of the MasterChef kitchen — with the same determination that made him one of rugby’s most respected figures.
The 20th series of Celebrity MasterChef will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer later this autumn.
