Paralympic athlete Lauren Steadman won Celebrity MasterChef in the grand finale on Friday night. The nail-biting episode saw Lauren go head-to-head with weightlifter and Olympic medalist Emily Campbell, and Love Islander Shakira Khan.All three finalists were tasked with cooking and presenting a faultless three-course meal for final judgment by Celebrity MasterChef judges Grace Dent and Giorgio Locatelli.It was the finalists’ last chance to prove they had what it took by showing passion and creativity through their dishes, with Lauren’s stellar execution of her three-course meal clinching her the iconic Celebrity MasterChef trophy.Lauren, who was born with much of her right arm missing, presented scallops pan fried in chilli butter, served with a coconut and spinach lentil dahl puree, and crowned with fresh apple batons as her starter.It was followed by a main of beef wellington served with truffle mash, caramelised shallot, butternut squash puree, tenderstem broccoli and a red wine jus. Paralympic athlete Lauren Steadman won Celebrity MasterChef in the grand finale on Friday night Reacting to her win, Lauren said: ‘This is up there with a Paralympic gold medal. There haven’t been many moments when I have been left speechless but this is one of them.’Dessert was a classic sticky toffee pudding with dates, served with a caramel sauce and a clotted cream ice cream.Finals week also saw Lauren create a decadent dog bone shaped dessert for fifty guests at the world’s largest and most prestigious dog show, Crufts. She also took on one of the most prestigious events in the culinary calendar – The Chef’s Table – at one of the world’s most iconic hotels, The Ritz.Reacting to her win, Lauren said: ‘This is up there with a Paralympic gold medal.There haven’t been many moments when I have been left speechless but this is one of them.’ Judge Grace explained: ‘Throughout this competition, Lauren has cooked at an exquisite level. And today, quite simply, she served some really, really wonderful food.’Giorgio Locatelli, Grace’s co-host, was similarly positive about Lauren’s efforts.Giorgio said: ‘She seems to turn everything to an advantage. And that, for me, is why she is our Celebrity MasterChef champion.’ The nail-biting episode saw Lauren go head-to-head with fellow finalists: weightlifter and Olympic medallist Emily Campbell, and Love Islander Shakira KhanShakira, meanwhile, poked fun at her status as a perennial runner-up, having previously fallen short of success on Love Island.She quipped: ‘Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. I’m first runner-up loser, again. But it’s been a wonderful experience and I’ve had a ball.’Gold medal performance from Lauren. Well done, my girl. Very proud of her.’Lauren previously opened up about her decision to join Celebrity MasterChef, revealing that she revelled in the challenge.She told the BBC: ‘I can compete in sports to a very high level and handle the pressure, I love to challenge myself and constantly learn new things. Being on Celebrity MasterChef would push my boundaries and hopefully give me the confidence that I can cook.’It’s very different cooking for loved ones to stepping up and having the food critically analysed. It is also a show I have watched many times and enjoyed seeing how people craft their interpretation of food and flavours – it’s very individual and I like that. Also, quite risky as it could go very wrong.’Lauren described herself as an ‘intuitive cook’.Asked to describe her cooking style, Lauren replied: ‘If something goes wrong, I’ll improvise and turn it into something else! I once added way too many stock cubes into a soup so made it into a pasta sauce.’I’m an intuitive cook, good at just opening the fridge and saying, ‘what are we going to cook?’. I’m also a taster and free-baller, I hardly measure things!’