Profession: fashion designer / TV presenter.

Signature dish: cheese and spinach pie.

Darling of Australian fashion, Alex Perry is taking Celebrity MasterChef in his stride. The extravagant, irrepressible designer might surprise the judges
though with his views on food.

"I don't like things too tricked up and pretentious. Degustation menus. Ugh. You might as well take a fork and stick it in my eye. I like simple, unpretentious food. I don't like tricky things on the plate or swirls of sauces."

As a nod to his Greek heritage, Alex likes his food simple, and he relishes comfort dishes.

"I like rustic, Mediterranean food where the food is all in one big pot. You can have as much or as little as you want. It's unrushed and relaxed and the sort of food I like."

"My wife Mary is an incredible cook as are all the women in my family. When I cook I like to do a big breakfast or lazy Sunday meal."

"My absolute favourite food meal is toasted cheese sandwiches. I love them! But my signature dish is a cheese and spinach pie. It’s a Greek dish, and being Greek it's my favourite thing to eat."

Alex enjoys cooking without a time limit, and so creating a dish under time pressure is going to be a challenge for him.

"Most of the food that I cook is done over a period of time on a weekend. My challenge is going to be translating my repertoire into something I can make in a short amount of time. I've been practicing at home with a buzzer. But if they gave me a box with Asian inspired food, I wouldn't know what to do."

With a well established and hugely successful career in the notoriously brutal fashion industry behind him, Alex knows exactly how to handle criticism.

"I've been commented on and criticised all through my career. You do your work and open it out for the public, and it can be rewarding but it can also be soul destroying. I've got a thick skin. Everyone can have their opinion. I'm used to that!"

"I'm competitive but I think you've got to approach this with humour. If I get too wound up it won't work. Every chef you see who is a good has a sense of confidence, and it's effortless when they work in the kitchen."

"I'm under pressure all the time and this is just a different form of it. I don't take it too seriously. It's just cooking a meal. I'm a bit of a selfish cook – I do things the way I like them. I wouldn't be a great restaurant chef. I wouldn't do what the customer wants. I'd do what I want."

One thing Alex doesn't have a definite opinion on is his ultimate dessert. Confessing that sweet dishes are his favourites, he lists an amazing Christmas cake as one of his biggest culinary achievements.

"I love making desserts. I'm definitely a dessert person. The list is long. Every time I go to Greece the first thing I have is a coffee and a baklavas…I like really plain cakes, a good Madeira, plain buttery biscuits, crème brûlée or a tiramisu…. ."