Donna Hay has been a part of the Australian food scene for decades.
Now the celebrity chef, author and food stylist has a new show coming out on Disney+ in 2026 called Donna Hay Coastal Celebrations.
The series, which was filmed along Sydney’s picturesque coastline, will showcase elegantly styled tablescapes and delicious menus to inspire gatherings with family and friends.
The new series is a continuation of Donna’s partnership with Disney+ following the success of Donna Hay Christmas.
Here’s everything we know about Donna Hay’s life inside and outside of the kitchen.
DONNA HAY’S CAREER AS A CHEF, AUTHOR AND FOOD STYLIST
Donna is best known as the author of 27 cookbooks including Instant Entertaining, The New Classics, Fresh and Light, and One Pan Perfect.
In 2001, she launched her own magazine Donna Hay Magazine and served as its Editor-in-Chief for 100 issues until it closed in July 2018. She also served as the Food Editor of Marie Claire magazine when it launched in Australia in 1995 and spent six months working as the Food Editor for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
Over the years, Donna has made some appearances on reality TV cooking shows but has no plans to make a more permanent move into the space.
“No, it’s not my thing,” she told Now To Love in 2019. “It’s just not what I love doing. I don’t feel like it’s my thing to be on TV judging people. I closed my magazine because I wanted to get back to doing more of the stuff I love doing so taking on a commitment like that would be such a backward step.”
“I get to write more recipes now and do a lot more styling and creative work than I did when I was the boss of the [Donna Hay] magazine when there was a lot of desk work.”
Donna Hay’s Christmas, her first series for Disney+, premiered on the platform in November 2022.
“Christmas at my house usually consists of my three favourite things — family, laughter and super-delicious food. It’s these things we all treasure, and it’s what I’ve learnt to focus on when preparing and planning for the big day,” Donna told Now to Love at the time.
In the series, the celebrity chef shares tips and tricks to avoid the last minute “Christmas hustle”.
“I’ll share all of my best tips and tricks, creating show stopping recipes and beautiful food styling ideas that will make for the most delicious, stress-free Christmas yet.”
DONNA HAY’S LIFE OUTSIDE THE KITCHEN
In 2015, Donna separated from her husband Bill Wilson.
“It’s not what defines me,” the cookbook author told News.com.au at the time. “It’s not something I anniversarise. I have no idea when it happened. There’s no affair, it just happened.”
The couple share two sons — Tom and Angus, who Donna described in 2019 as “typical teenage boys”.
“They only cook for themselves when they’re really hungry. They hang out in the kitchen when I’m cooking and we have a chat,” she told Now To Love.
In 2011, after a filming day at MasterChef Australia, Donna found herself unable to move and crippled by pain. Her husband called an ambulance and while doctors initially thought she’d ruptured a bulging disc, X-rays showed she had no disc at all.
“It seems it had ruptured previously and the bone was grinding on bone, with the nerves caught between,” she told News.com.au at the time. “My surgeon couldn’t tell whether it had happened when I was pregnant or some other time, because there was nothing left.”
She spent 12 days in hospital and it was the first time she’d been forced to slow down during her career.
“I lay there, looking at the air vent on the ceiling, wondering if I was about to lose my entire career. For someone who thinks they’re in control of their life, it was very confronting, especially since they couldn’t tell me the outcome. It all depended on my recovery,” she said.
When she finally left the hospital, there was a long road to recovery.
“My leg would buckle. Once, I fell on my business manager; another time, I was in a bookshop and my legs went from under me,” she said. “When I found I couldn’t walk upstairs, I wondered what would be the point of my life. I couldn’t fathom what I’d do if I didn’t recover.”
Donna eventually recovered, dropped three dress sizes and become a regular runner.
“I’ve recovered really well, but it’s made me more mindful about how I treat my body. I don’t lean over a set all day, and I swim as well as run, because varied exercise strengthens my back. It would be foolish for me to carry around that much weight ever again,” she told News.com.au.
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