MasterChef's Gregg Wallace has revealed family members including his in-laws were barred from the kitchen while he coped with lockdown boredom by shooting scenes for his new fitness website.

The 55-year-old converted his countryside home in Kent into a mini filming studio during his time away from the screen.

But that wasn't the only transformation as Gregg, who is back in the gym five days a week, continues his fitness obsession after shedding four stone.

In August, the TV host shared pictures of his chiselled abs in a topless snap shared on Instragram.

Now Gregg is on a mission to help others get fit and lose weight and has set up Showme.fit, a wellness website to share the secrets of his success.

Speaking to KentOnline he said: "How you feel on a daily basis is hugely important to your confidence.

"To look in the mirror and like what you see is a massive boost."

The TV presenter took advantage of the long months of lockdown to launch his new subscription-based service, which went live in June.

"This is what happens when you lock away a workaholic," he said. "We basically turned my house into a mini filming studio."

The cooking judge added this was to the annoyance of some family members who were effectively barred from the kitchen while shooting took place.

But while Gregg is the star of the set it's his daughter Libby, 23, who he says is the real mastermind behind the project.

"My daughter Libby is actually in charge. She films and edits it all in her bedroom."

"We are constantly updating the content on the site," he added, with weekly recipes put together by wife and cook, Anna, 33, and fitness plans devised by Gregg's personal trainer Danny Rai, as well as motivational techniques shared by psychologist, Dr Kevin Dutton.

"This is what happens when you lock away a workaholic..."

He has also enlisted the help of Sevenoaks -based nutritionist, Katharine Bright, who explains the basics for subscribers in an easy, digestible way, as well as advice on sleep and alcohol intake.

Gregg revealed his fitness transformation was inspired by his wife, Anna, with whom he welcomed their first child together, a baby boy named Sid, last year.

The TV chef said: "As I get older and since I have a young son, and a wonderful wife, I want to be as fit and healthy for as long as I can be.

"I realised that a lot about losing weight is about showing people what to do – I didn't know how to exercise four years ago, I didn't know how to eat healthily no one showed me or told me about nutritional facts.

“Now, both these things are part of my daily lifestyle and I feel fitter, healthier and happier than I could ever have imagined so I want to help other people achieve the same."

Gregg, originally from Peckham, first moved to the county when he pitched up at Whitstable to live by the sea.

But while he confesses he loved walks along the beach his growing fame meant the family required more privacy.

They relocated to the countryside, he recounts, to "hide behind the hedges" near Tenterden, around 30 minutes' drive from Ashford .

The sprawling grounds of the expansive million-pound family home provided the perfect backdrop for his first yoga session with Greenhithe -based instructor and latest recruit, Tammy Foster.

Gregg was keen to give yoga a go and searched Google for "Kent Online yoga", stumbling across the Dartford instructor's story on the mental health benefits of the practice.

But when the yoga teacher first got the call from the celebrity chef she thought it was someone playing a prank .

"He has a distinctive voice and I thought it was my husband's friend winding me up so I said 'oh yeah what do you want Gregg'?" Tammy said.

However, when it turned out to be the master chef himself, Tammy was thrilled by the prospect and has now joined Gregg's team of experts.

Gregg said: "She came to my house and we did our first yoga lesson and I absolutely loved it."

"When I experienced it I thought this was fantastic, I felt so chilled out so I now do it twice a day."

Together they shot a video and the reaction from subscribers has been fantastic he says, adding there was an "instant clamour" for more.

Gregg has also noticed the difference taking time out from his busy schedule to practice breathing techniques has had on his own mental wellbeing.

It's a routine the former greengrocer is hoping to maintain as he re-emerges back onto life on screen.

With MasterChef: The Professionals set to return next month the co-host says producers have been squeezing in "back to back" filming, explaining that because of the social distancing required shoots were taking longer than usual.

"I'm really really happy to be back filming MasterChef, it has been a big part of my life for 12 years," he said,

He added the set up for the show lends itself to keeping more than two metres apart, but despite this there are certain parts to the process he misses.

"The thing I miss most is not being able to shake people's hands and put my arms around people's shoulders," he added.

For more information on Gregg's new fitness venture visit Showme.fit or follow him on Instagram @greggshowme.fit

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