The Scots winner of the latest Come Dine With Me has dedicated the victory to his late sister for encouraging him to sign up for the show.
Garry MacDonald, a catering manager for a local school, took home the £1,000 prize on the Channel 4 culinary show with his Ibiza Beach Club Scottish-themed dinner party – which aired yesterday. The 35-year-old has since dedicated his victory to his late sister Helen Maxine Thomson, who originally encouraged him to go on the show.
Garry told Glasgow Live: “My sister was the main reason I went on Come Dine With Me. She pushed me to do it. At the time of filming she took unwell, and I was going to pull out, but she pushed me to do it and told me ‘I need to do it’.
“She was messaging me every morning telling me to be me, and that’s what you saw the whole week. Watching it back, it was emotional because that time was a crucial time of my life. I’m really happy though, and I’m sure she would be proud.”
Gary’s menu proved to be a hit as he took home the prize after scoring an impressive 33 points. Despite the arguments and 16-hour filming days, Gary noted that it was a “brilliant experience”.
He added: “Being on Come Dine With Me was an absolutely wild ride. So much drama, so much laughter, and some seriously unforgettable moments.
“The atmosphere was electric from start to finish, and let’s just say not everyone saw eye to eye. There were fiery debates, unexpected twists, and plenty of tension simmering alongside the food. Every night brought something new, and I loved every second of it.”
His night included giving the others a ‘cheeky’ surprise when he stripped down to nothing but an apron while preparing his meal.
“I did a wee strip-tease for them and I think my booty may have got me an extra few points,” Garry added. “It was never planned, I put it on for the film crew when they arrived and they asked me to keep it on for the night if I wanted to, so I kept it on for the guest reaction.
“They were laughing so much, there had been a bit of drama, so it loosened it all a little bit, even though it did all blow up again!”
Garry had to wait for around a month to get his prize after revealing he didn’t get to keep the money shown on the program. He has since spent it, but confirmed he has kept in contact with everyone despite filming taking place nearly two years ago.
He added: “The money you see is real, but you don’t actually get it, it takes a month before you get it. There is a lot of things you don’t see when they’re filming, you can’t score someone on their food being hot or cold, because it’s never going to be hot with all the filming. Everyone tries to keep a straight face during filming.
“Even though there was so much drama, I laughed so much and it’s made for a good start to the year seeing it.”
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