Cooking with the Stars returns to screens this weekend and a fresh batch of famous faces will be paired up with professional chefs for another season of cooking battles. The ITV cooking show, hosted by Emma Willis and Tom Allen, is back for a fifth series as the celebrities prepare to go head-to-head in the kitchen.

This year, the list of stars who have swapped the world of showbiz for the kitchen chaos include actress Natalie Cassidy, reality TV star Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, actor and comedian Hugh Dennis, author and interiors expert Kelly Hoppen, radio presenter Jordan North, media personality Jack Osbourne, reality TV star Jessica Wright and former footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Each celebrity will be paired up with an accomplished chef who will mentor and teach them to produce delicious dishes that will be judged by the other professionals. At the end of each episode, the bottom two will have to fight for their place in the competition, creating a dish without any help from their mentor.

Natalie Cassidy, best known for her role as Sonia Fowler in EastEnders, will go up against Jordan North in the first episode of the ITV show. She has explained she felt “starstruck” while working with the professional chefs.

Hugh Dennis and Natalie Cassidy at the Cooking With The Stars premiere(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for M&S Food)

Natalie was paired with Tony Singh, 54 – who is best known for blending Scottish produce with Asian flavours – and she said the best part about the experience was talking about food with him, as well as the other chefs, including Jack Stein and Elliott Grover.

Speaking to Christine Lampard earlier this week on ITV’s daytime show Lorraine, Natalie shared: “The whole thing was amazing. Everyone was fantastic. We had such a lovely time. Jack [Osbourne], Kelly [Hoppen and Jess [Wright] – all of them were so fun.

“But the cooking for me – it was the chefs. I get very starstruck because I love food, and I know a lot of chefs. I’m a bit of a geek when it comes to restaurants and chefs, so to be surrounded by Jack Stein and Elliot Grover and all these amazing people, as well as Tony, sitting there talking to them about food, yeah, I felt like a competition winner.”

The former EastEnders star was thrilled when she got cast on Cooking with the Stars. Natalie said: “I love cooking, and I’ve always wanted to do [a cooking show], so when it came up, I jumped at the chance.”

And the actress said she and Tony had lots of fun while making the show. Natalie added: “Being paired with Tony was absolutely amazing. I cannot tell you the fun we’ve had. We just got on like a house on fire.

“From the minute I saw him, I thought, ‘We’re going to have such a laugh.’ And to learn all about Indian food, building spices and pastes, and it was just an amazing experience.”

Natalie said the TV show proposed a real challenge as her cooking skills were put to the test, as she normally cooks “basic” meals at home.

She said: “My staple dishes would be a roast dinner on a Sunday and then it would probably be spaghetti and meatballs and then a chilli. Everything is very basic. They’re good staples, but I’d love to learn more about herbs and spices and different cultures and foods.”