Kelly LeBrock

Aged 47

Food Heaven: Organic food, sausage egg and chips, HP Sauce, flourless chocolate cake

Food Hell: Nothing, except maybe tongue

Model and actress Kelly LeBrock is hungry to get into the kitchen, despite being afflicted with an injury, but she confesses that her real strengths lie elsewhere.

“I want to go back to work and I thought that taking part in this show would be a great way to learn how to be a better chef in the kitchen. However when someone asked me if I was good in the kitchen, I said I was probably better in the bedroom so we’ll see what happens!”

Best known for her role in the film Weird Science back in the 1980’s, which turned Kelly into a pin up for teenage boys across the world, she is modest about her enduring sex appeal.

“I am honoured that people remember me and that men out there might still love an old bag like me. But that’s 20 years ago so I hope that they are kind when they see me now.”

Having torn some ligaments in her right hand, Kelly has the injury strapped, but is confident that this won’t stop her taking on everything that Marco can throw at her.

“I slipped and tore ligaments in my right hand. I actually tried to pop the knuckles back in myself – I think I was in shock! I went to the emergency room, and the doctor tried to put them back in and I told him I’d already tried that! But I’m fine and I’m going into Hell’s Kitchen with an open attitude and I will do my absolute very best.”

As she kung-fu fights for her official Hell’s Kitchen photographs using some extra long kitchen forks that she has brought with her as a prop, it’s clear that fiery Kelly is going to be more than a match for Marco Pierre White.

“I’ve not heard of Marco before – in fact I thought he was called Pierre Marco Whitehead! He was the original chef wasn’t he? Teaching Gordon and the others. Well, I’m very protective of people and if people aren’t being fair and nice, then that’s not cool and I’ll step in. I don’t like people being picked on but you can throw it all at me.”

With three children of her own, Kelly admits that she is likely to be the protective lioness of the group, and she knows exactly the role she will take.

“I’m an organiser, and if that means being bossy then I will be bossy. I like to get things done and if we’re all in the same place and we have to get things done then I’ll do it. Hell’s Kitchen isn’t fazing me – I’ve got three children at home [from her marriage to Steven Seagal, Anna 20, Dominick 17, Arissa 14]. It’s a little tougher when the adults are acting like children but if they are acting like brats then I will deal with them like I deal with my children – ‘come sit in the corner!’”

Kelly classes herself as a competent cook and thinks its really important bonding experience to sit down each night and eat with her family. Recently re-married, she and her husband have eight children between them so it’s a busy household.

“My cooking skills are alright and I do have children, but you can feed children everything to be honest and I’ve not really cooked properly in years. I have a small repertoire that I do every so often. Some of the things I do are very tasty but they are not worthy of a restaurant. I do roasts, shepherd’s pie, very simple basic salads and nothing fancy.”

Currently living on a ranch in California, Kelly says that her life is very isolated and she objects to many of the trappings of modern life.

“I live quite an isolated life and have done for the past 20 years. I chose to stop working to raise my children. I don’t have a TV and I don’t have a computer. I don’t like it and I don’t like my children seeing that sort of thing. I don’t like how it depicts life.”

She keeps many animals on her ranch and her rustic lifestyle has affected her views on food and diet in today’s world.

“I make my own cheese and I have goats, chickens, horses, dogs and cows and it’s a beautiful life. But people generally are crazy at the moment with diets. They have never been fatter and yet more health conscious! I believe that people need to eat fat but real, pure fats – cream and butter – I don’t have anything pasteurised. Diets are all rubbish. We’ve become lazy and we don’t sit down as families to eat our meals any more. We eat on the run and on the go and everything has preservatives.”

Kelly’s theory is everything in moderation but, raised in London, she certainly prefers the British way of life and would love to come back to live here one day. Kelly can’t bear the portion sizes in America and despite her best intentions, does admit to loving good old English café food.

“I am very organic but everyone has an off day and if you don’t you get sick. If I want to trash myself I’ll trash myself. I’ll have fast food but not all the time. I like all food as long as it’s delicious and fresh. I don’t like greasy food but I do like egg, sausage and chips with HP Sauce. That’s really good nosh!”

“I love British food more than American food. In America you have more fat people than anywhere else in the world. The American diet and the portion sizes are revolting and I am horrified at the amount of food on a plate. It’s sensible here, not oversized and we’re all taught to sit and finish and if you sit and finish your meal in America you are guaranteed to be a big fat pig!”

Desperate to learn some of Marco’s tricks of the trade and some new recipes, Kelly laughs that there might however be a need to have the fire brigade on standby.

“I’ve had so many kitchen disasters,” she says. “The [fire] alarm company is always involved because of burning things. I literally burn everything. If I ever actually do have a real fire I don’t think they’ll come. I really hope I don’t burn anything here!”