Melissa Leong is about to delve into the “dark” parts of her life in a new memoir.
The memoir, called Guts, is set to be released in September and the food writer and TV personality said it will cover all aspects of her life, including what it was like behind the scenes of MasterChef.
“There are unexpected twists and turns and there are definitely some revelations I’ve never shared publicly before that are printed,” she told the Herald Sun on the weekend.
“Some of it is dark and pretty relevant for what’s going on in the world today, especially for women,” she continued. “That was a really difficult process for me. And it’s going to be very difficult to talk about it in a public sense as the book is promoted.”
“But I am committed to healing through it… I’m committed to healing through it because I think it will help the public. And I really hope it will help me”
The 43-year-old said writing the memoir was a difficult but “cathartic” process for her.
Last week, she shared a selfie on Instagram where she had tears in her eyes and she explained to her followers that she’d just spent the day recording the audiobook.
“Today was a hard day. I started recording the audio version of my memoir, and I knew sharing some of what I wrote might be the most difficult thing I have ever had to say out loud to strangers,” she said in the caption.
“I know it’s not yet time to talk about it, but I really need to send love to anyone out there who has been forced through the dark moments. You are not alone, and I need to know I am not, either.”
The Dessert Masters host said she’s excited to be finally telling her own story.
“I am not one for posting these kinds of raw moments, but I want to mark today as one where I reclaimed myself and my story once and for all,” she added.
When first announcing the upcoming memoir, Melissa said it would have “have teeth, guts and heart”.
“Writing this book hasn’t been without fear, doubt, or worry. The result is a book rippled with love letters to food, seeing the world, and most importantly, doing things my way,” she said at the time.
“It’s not all light. There are some pretty dark truths in here, but isn’t that always the making of who we are?”
Melissa has previously opened up about her struggle with anxiety and self doubt.
“I have a very loud internal monologue, so whenever I say something I could have articulated a little bit more delicately, I’m rehashing what I did and said in front of people because that’s just how my mind works. I’m hypercritical. It’s just how I’m built,” she told News.com.au last year.
“Anxiety and neuroticism is something we all share as human beings. We all have moments where we know we nailed it, and moments where we go, ‘Wow, that was a bit special, wasn’t it?’,” she continued.
“I think the more time I spend in entertainment, the more I realise that’s just what makes us human. What connects us to other humans. I’ve learned to embrace the mess just a little bit more.”
Guts by Melissa Leong will release on 30 September 2025.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
