Athlete David Gillick has said he would consider a career in the food industry after he won Ireland's Celebrity MasterChef.

The 400 metre runner said the pressure of the kitchen came close to matching that of racing and said he was delighted with his victory.

Around 425,400 viewers watched the final episode of Celebrity MasterChef Ireland. Mr Gillick said the experience had given him the confidence to explore cooking further.

“I’ve always had an interest in food and I would have liked a little cafe. The whole MasterChef experience has giving me more confidence,” he said.

Mr Gillick also admitted he found it incredibly difficult to avoid telling friends about his win as the final show was filmed weeks ago.

“You have no idea how difficult it was. Anytime anyone asked me and I couldn’t say anything, I felt a bit rude.”

Mr Gillick finally got to celebrate his win last night and invited a few close friends over to his house to watch the show with him.

“They all cheered at the end, as if I had scored a goal. It was great. I was given a huge trophy and it was in the back of the wardrobe since then. Now I finally have it out,” he said.

Mr Gillick beat off competition from RTÉ newsreader Aengus MacGrianna, who had consistently impressed the judges, and broadcaster Maia Dunphy.

He said since the show ended, the contestants have met up a few times and planned to meet again soon.

His winning dish was quinoa crumbed lamb cutlets to start, halibut fillet with an avocado, apple and celeriac remoulade with lemon vinaigrette for the main course and summer meringue torte for dessert.

“I tried to keep it simple without going over the top,” he said.