Tony Rodd, who appeared on the BBC competition in 2015, said he is closing the Copper & Ink restaurant in Blackheath, south east London.

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It comes after the chef told The Sun about a “terrifying” £80,000 energy bill had left him struggling to sleep.

Tony and his wife Becky said: “It is with heavy hearts that we announce the immediate closure of Copper & Ink.

“We have agonised over making this decision and spent much of the Christmas break trying to find a way to save the restaurant, but to no avail.”

The couple said that the pandemic, energy bills and other surging costs had forced them to put up prices – driving away customers.

Tony told The Sun in 2022 that EDF Energy had nearly quadrupled Copper & Ink’s monthly direct debit from £1,700 to £6,400.

He said: “It’s terrifying, I have no idea how we are going to make it through the next few months.

“Our yearly estimate from EDF has spiralled up from £20,000 to £80,000 and things were already extremely tight.

“I struggle to sleep at the best of times but I hardly get a wink at the moment.

“Every waking minute is spent with this immense fear about the future.”

‘PERIOD OF GRIEF’

In a statement on Twitter tonight, the couple said: “We have had a wonderful 5 years.

“We want to thank each and every one of you from the bottom of our hearts for the warmth, love and support you have bestowed upon us during this time.

They added: “We know there will be many questions and we will attempt to answer as many of them as we possibly can.

“However, we are also in a period of grief for the loss of the place we have called home for all this time.

“We would appreciate some respect for our privacy while we process everything and go through the procedure of winding everything up.

“We have been privileged to be such an integral part of the Blackheath Village community.

“We will dearly miss seeing all of you on a regular basis. Until we meet again…”

EDF has been contacted for comment.

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