Find out more about the inspirations behind Dean's delicious dishes...
My love of food was inspired by my father, who cooked beautifully but was a tradesman by profession. Although I became a digger driver, I always cooked for the love of it, so was persuaded to enter Masterchef by my friends and family. I went all the way to the final but was sadly pipped to the post but thousands of viewers called in to pledge their support for me and complained that I should have won!
I made my first debut on This Morning in September 2009 where I featured in a weekly cookery slot, creating dishes for the ITV audience. After coming second in BBC's MasterChef Goes Large in 2006, I sought to change my life radically by leaving his career as a digger driver to pursue my love of cooking and food...
A stint at the two Michelin-starred Midsummer House in Cambridge followed, after which, I returned home to Bristol to run a catering business specialising in dinner parties.
What do you most enjoy about working on Daybreak/Lorraine?
It's the fact that I get to showcase the food I am most passionate about, for me its all about simple family meals. I would like to think that even the most novice of home cooks could attempt and have success with the food we do on the show, but the recipes still remain aspirational. And of course getting to cook for the amazing lorraine kelly on a regular basis makes it all the sweeter!
Who would you most like to meet/interview that you haven't already?
We are fortunate to get to meet many stars on the show and even cook for a few, my dream guest would without doubt be Ricky Gervais. I've loved him for a long long time and would love the opportunity to cook for him, I've heard that he is a big masterchef fan so he may remember me from my Digger Dean days, ha ha, you never know.
Who is the most memorable celebrity/personality you have ever met and why?
The one that sticks out for me is Mariah Carey whilst I was working on This morning. I got to take my two week old daughter indie to watch her sing, not bad for a first gig is it? I also got to cook steak fajitas for The Saturdays a few weeks ago, its tough work but someones got to do it.
If you weren't a chef what would you be doing as a job?
Well I definately wouldn't be digging up roads for a living, Im sure it would be something involving food, if not cooking then eating. Maybe taking over from Adam Richman as the new presenter of my favourite show Man vs Food.
Are you a good morning person?
It's something I've had to get used to over the last few years with the arrival of the little one, even if she stays up later than normal we can still expect a shout from her just after six! The only thing that is strange with the early starts on the show is that it feel strange tucking into a curry or lasagne at seven in the morning while filming the recap for the food item.
Who would you choose to play you in a film version of your life?
I was lucky enough to meet Hollywood actor Josh Brolin recently and he told me I was the spitting image of John Leguiziamo (Tibult from Romeo and Juliet) or maybe Ryan Reynolds as a body double, ha ha.
Tell us one fact about yourself that we'd be surprised to learn?
Ive got a BA Hons degree in photography, and I used to be partial to a bit of piercing, enough said!