The newly-crowned champion on BBC One's MasterChef has said she is "floating somewhere in space" after her victory in the show's first all-female final.
Warning: spoiler alert!
Retired banker Irini Tzortzoglou saw off the challenge of fellow finalists Jilly McCord and Delia Maria Asser to thrill judges Gregg Wallace and John Torode with a menu inspired by her Greek heritage and childhood in Crete.
Her dishes included red mullet with a squid risotto, griddled rosemary lamb chops and a fig and hazelnut baklava.
"I'm floating somewhere in space, in mid-air," Tzortzoglou told the Press Association after her win.
"It happened so quickly that I felt all the final that the three of us were like one.
"We were all doing our own thing but actually we were in unison, so my instinctive reaction was: 'Can I share it? Can I share it with my friends?'"
"Because it felt like we all had won and then it sunk in because the girls left the room and I was like, 'Oh my God, it's me. I've actually done it'," she continued.
"A normal person, an average person, does not suddenly win a major competition watched by millions. It just doesn't happen and it happened to me and it was very, very difficult to sink in."
The champion said she was very happy to take part in an all-female final.
"I'm excited about my grandchildren and the young generations who are growing up seeing a shift in our perception as to who can do what and understanding that women can be equally good as men in all things," she explained.
"We are just lucky we are three women who love and respect each other and have grown to be very fond and appreciative of each other's talents."
Looking to the future, Tzortzoglou said: "I don't think that at my time of life I want to run a restaurant. I want to spend more time with my mum and I would love to go 'round Greece and do some research, maybe make a programme if I'm lucky.
"This is my dream scenario: to visit the different Greek areas where the land is different, the climate is different, the people and food are different, and be able to showcase more of that - that would be amazing."
