On Wednesday night, viewers of Celebrity MasterChef were taken aback when they thought they spotted a mouse scurrying in the backdrop of the show. The unexpected guest seemed to make its appearance while Strictly Come Dancing professional, Oti Mabuse, was engrossed in whisking egg yolks for a high-stakes cooking challenge.

Fans quickly took to Twitter, buzzing about the uninvited furry visitor. As Oti concentrated on her task, preparing a dish meant for the staff at London Zoo, the potential rodent sighting added an unexpected twist to the evening’s entertainment.

Meanwhile, Oti also provided some comic relief during the episode. Her cheeky mispronunciation of the spice ‘cumin’ left viewers in stitches, with one jokingly suggesting they might “avoid the chicken” after her amusing remark.

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What is that? Celebrity MasterChef viewers were left stunned on Wednesday night as they claimed a mouse (circled) could be seen running rampant in the background

During the challenge, Oti was hard at work as she whipped up some egg yolks fora chicken dish to cater to the staff at London Zoo.

But as the camera panned out to show part of a shelving unit behind her, many viewers were adamant a mouse could be seen in the background.

One wrote: ‘Mouse alert in the kitchen #CelebrityMasterChef,’ while another added: ‘Swear I’ve just spotted a mouse in the masterchef kitchen – in between the brown barrels in the background! #CelebrityMasterChef.’

A third also tweeted: ‘Did anyone else notice that mouse in master chef or was it just me? #CelebrityMasterChef.’  

Strange: During the challenge, Oti was hard at work as she whipped up some egg yolks for a chicken dish to cater to the staff at London Zoo

Right there? But as the camera panned out to show part of a shelving unit behind her, many viewers were adamant a mouse could be seen in the background

I can see it! Many viewers took to Twitter to share their views with several making reference to the 2007 Pixar animation Ratatouille

Another added: “Swear I’ve just spotted a mouse in the masterchef kitchen – in between the brown barrels in the background! #CelebrityMasterchef.” 

But a spokesperson for Celebrity MasterChef has since denied there was a mouse in kitchen.

They told MailOnline in a statement: ‘There are no mice joining the Celebrity MasterChef line up this year – it’s Dame Zandra Rhodes’ foot in the background of shot.’

Oops! It came as Oti also left viewers in hysterics with her lewd pronunciation of the spice ‘cumin,’ with one joking that they might ‘avoid the chicken’ following her hilarious statement

Oti was competing on Celebrity MasterChef alongside stars including Joey Essex, designer Zandra Rhodes and former footballer Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock.

The South African dancer also left many viewers in hysterics with a hilarious pronunciation of the spice ‘cumin.’

When explaining what spices she’d had added to the chicken she said she’d used ‘cumin’ – but she pronounced it in the wrong way – and many thought it sounded rude.

Hundreds of fans of the show took to Twitter to comment on the way she said the word, with one even joking, ‘I think I’ll avoid the chicken.’ 

Celebrity MasterChef continues on Friday at 9pm on BBC One. 

Teamed up: The dancer joined forces with designer Zandra Rhodes to create a chicken dish, that they hoped would see them through to the next round