Celebrity MasterChef’s first blind contestant Amar Latif feared fan backlash over ‘special treatment’
AMAR Latif won the hearts of the nation when he reached the semi-final of Celebrity MasterChef as the show’s first ever blind contestant.
The 45-year-old had been approached twice by BBC bosses before being convinced to say “yes” – but only if he wasn’t given any special treatment.
He feared he would face fan backlash if he was given extra time, so insisted it was an even playing field – despite losing his sight at 18 years old.
“I was on the same side as those people who say ‘blind people can’t cook’.” laughed Amar, in an exclusive interview with The Sun.
“But I didn’t want to be part of a competition that would give me an unfair advantage.
“I had no qualms about it, because they made it clear that there were no advantages at all and that I wouldn’t get any extra time.
“It’s a very special thing, and I am proud to have done it.”
After agreeing to join the likes of Gethin Jones, Lady Leshurr and Felicity Montagu in a bid to impress judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace, Amar spent the next two weeks tirelessly practicing how to cook.
“The next few weeks were the make or break time for me because I worked so hard,” he said.
“If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have passed the first round.
“What I did in two weeks, people would have developed in a year. Myself and my PA worked very efficiently. I researched other recipes, and when you see me on TV now, I’m laughing and enjoying it because I put in the work.
“If you want something, you have to put something in and that’s what I’ve always done. I have learnt to be a problem solver and be creative.
“No matter how ridiculous something sounds, if someone presents you with an opportunity, don’t turn it down.
“Go for it and then worry how you are going to deal with it. The human spirit is based on surviving and shouldn’t be underestimated.”
Amar Latif is an entrepreneur and motivational speaker who became a world traveller, finding fame on the BBC reality series Beyond Boundaries.
Tonight he will battle it out in the semi-final of Celebrity MasterChef.
After four weeks of intense competition, the best eight cooks remain and have travelled to the National Breeding Centre at Leamington Spa’s Guide Dogs For The Blind to face their toughest challenge so far.
For Amar, the next step in the competition proved challenging as he was thrown in with new celebrities he hadn’t met before and and faced with unfamiliar equipment.
“Suddenly in the semifinals you find yourself with new people and when you meet them for the first time, they look at you like a blind character and focus on the things you can’t do.
“You’ve got to put that to one side. It’s very difficult for people the first time, when they meet me.”
Amar was just four years old when doctors told his parents he would become permanently blind.
The star lost 95 per cent of his sight by the time he was just 18 because of an incurable eye condition called retinitis pigmentosa.
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Decades on, Amar is used to being judged over his disability – but he refuses to let people’s perceptions stop him from achieving his biggest dreams.
He added: “I’ve got to be thankful, because that has made me who I am.
“I have become a bit stubborn because when people have said ‘you can’t do that’, then I find a way to do it.
“When people say you can’t do it, it makes you stronger.”
Watch Celebrity MasterChef tonight on BBC One at 9pm.