Celebrity MasterChef star Jake Quickenden has been hit by several tragedies over the years.
From the deaths of his father and brother to a horror accident that he described as a “nightmare”, here’s a look at some of the star’s sadder times…
Celebrity MasterChef star Jake Quickenden tragedies: Death of father
At the age of 21, Celeb MasterChef star Jake was left heartbroken when his father died.
Jake’s dad, Paul, had been battling cancer before his devastating passing in 2008.
13 years later, during an appearance on GB News in 2022, Jake admitted that the grief from losing his father – and his brother – was still “raw”.
“I lost my dad 13 years ago now. And then I lost my little brother ten years ago now,” he said.
“It seems like a long time, but having gone through that kind of loss and grief it stays quite raw,” he then continued.
Jake then admitted it had been “tough” losing his dad.
“It was really tough. I was 20 or 21 when I lost my dad, so it was really tough,” he said.
“They were the kind of years where I was going out and I was finding out who I was. So to have my dad taken away, it kind of made me lose a bit of myself.”
Celebrity MasterChef star Jake Quickenden on losing his brother
Three years after losing his dad, Jake’s younger brother, Oliver, died after being diagnosed with bone cancer. He was 19.
Previously speaking to GB News, Jake confessed he felt like he’d “failed” his brother.
“I felt like I needed to protect my younger brother,” he explained. “And then I couldn’t. I couldn’t help him. And that’s something that stayed with me for a long time.
“The fact that I failed as an older brother, even though I know I didn’t, that’s how I feel.”
In 2020, Jake took part in the Real Full Monty on Ice. During his time on the show, Jake opened up about being by his brother’s side when he died.
“I remember laying on his bed with him trying to get his legs moving. He was 19 at the time. He looked at me and he said, ‘I’m ready to go now’, and to hear your little brother just give up and have enough in front your face, I didn’t know what to do,” he said.
“I took his hand, he opened his eyes and he said, ‘I love you bro’ and I said ‘I love you too, man’. About 20 minutes later he’d gone.”
‘It never gets easier’
During an interview with The Mirror last year, Jake opened up about his brother’s final moments.
“My mum phoned and said Oliver’s taken a turn for the worse, so I went round to his house. Oliver was just shutting down and I had my last conversation with him,” he said.
“I told him I loved him and he kind of came round and told me he loved me. About half an hour later he was gone. It was as quick as that and traumatising and upsetting for everybody,” he then continued.
He later added: “Now I can think about all the happy times I had with my brother and my old man, so it becomes more bearable. It never gets easier, but I’ve found ways that help me to deal with my grief.”
Horror injury
Back in 2021, Jake suffered a horrific injury that not only ended his time on Celebrity SAS but left him feeling as though he’d lost an arm.
Whilst trying to pull himself aboard a boat on the show, Jake “ripped tendons from the bone” in his arm.
He was forced to have surgery on his arm after the freak accident.
“I had to have them [the tendons] stretched back to my shoulder. I have got four pins in my shoulder now where they are all pinned back into place,” he explained.
He also added that he couldn’t feel his arm for two days following the surgery.
However, the star admitted that having to quit the show was more of a “nightmare” than the injury itself!
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Health anxiety
Last year, Jake admitted that he had developed health anxiety following the deaths of his brother and father.
“It’s been over 15 years since I’ve had it [health anxiety]. The first time I worried was when I was young and fell over and scraped my hand and got an infection. I thought I was always gonna get this,” he said on Lorraine.
“It’s important to find out what the start point was. For me, it was the loss of them [his dad and brother]. Thinking how fragile life is. Thinking I’m gonna get it and pass away,” he then continued.
He then went on to say that he manages his health anxiety much better now: “It’s tough but I feel a lot better about it now. I understand it. And when you understand anxiety you take the power away from it. I always do things to take my thoughts away from my health. It’s when I’m on my own that I worry.”
He then revealed that he mentions his health “15 times” a day to his wife.
Celebrity MasterChef star Jake Quickenden on his son
Back in February 2021, Jake and partner Sophie welcomed their first baby together – a son called Leo.
However, in June 2021, Jake revealed that baby Leo was going to need an operation on a hernia.
After reassuring fans that Leo wasn’t in pain, Jake confirmed he would need an operation.
“So it turns out he does need a little operation, he’s not in pain but where it is in his groin it can strangulate and get into his testicles pretty much,” he said.
“It’s pretty worrying but we have to wait about six weeks for the hospital to get in touch. But it’s better to get it sorted if it can cause any future troubles and he seems pretty happy, he’s not in pain as I said,” he then said.
Thankfully, little Leo’s op was a complete success.
Catch Jake on Celebrity MasterChef tonight (September 10) at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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