Gethin Jones pulled out of Celebrity Masterchef with coronavirus symptoms

Gethin Jones had to pull out of \'Celebrity MasterChef\' after falling ill with coronavirus symptoms.

The 42-year-old TV presenter was "absolutely gutted" when he was forced to quit the show, but admitted it was an "easy decision" because he didn\'t want to put anyone else at risk.

He wrote on Twitter: "Thank you for all your lovely messages re @MasterChefUK. I had symptoms of Covid-19 the morning of the next stage. Absolutely GUTTED... but it was the easiest decision. Would never put anyone at risk. (sic)"

Gethin\'s departure was revealed on last night\'s second semi-final by judge Gregg Wallace.

He said: "Gethin is not joining us.

"He is unwell. And I\'m sure, like us, you wish him all the best and a very speedy recovery."

Following the second semi, the final was broadcast, which saw YouTube star Riyadh Khalaf crowned the champion after he wowed Gregg and fellow judge John Torode.

Riyadh saw off competition from hockey pro Sam Quek and Olympic rowing legend Sir Matthew Pinsent.

Gethin previously revealed he felt "intimidated" by John and thought he "really hated [him]" on \'Celebrity Masterchef\'.

The Welsh star said: "Gregg loves his rugby, so we had good banter. He\'s very funny and he knew about Celtic history.

"But John is the one who I was intimidated by. The first day I met him, I went to shake his hand and he said, \'I\'m not shaking your hand, you\'ve got fish on it.\'

"I thought he really hated me! But what\'s great about John is that he wants you to cook well. They\'re both passionate about food and about people learning to create good food.

"They\'re totally honest about what they\'re eating, but the pressure is the fun of the show."