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Julie Goodwin was 38 and a mum of three when life changed for her completely.
The TV cook’s 2009 MasterChef appearance saw her defeat Poh Ling Yeow to be crowned the inaugural series winner and become an instant household name in the process.
And yet as the average day changed beyond recognition for the newfound star, one thing remained constant – the man she calls her “rock”, her husband Mick.
The duo were just teenagers when they met through a youth group run by Vinnies – Julie, a “nerdy and bookish” young woman, and Mick, a guitar-playing slow-mover.
They were aged just 24 when they wed, welcoming three children in quick succession – and with kids, a mortgage and only one income, the next few years saw them – as Julie reveals in The Australian Women’s Weekly’s Love Stories podcast – “scratching through”.
That, of course, was until Julie’s MasterChef win sparked a flurry of new opportunities. It was fantastic at first – with overseas travel and event invitations a part of the family’s new life – but with fame came an eventual breakdown for Julie, one that she almost didn’t come back from.
The star has been candid about the fact that she became a problem drinker.
“I tried moderation but I’m terrible at moderation,” she told Stellar in January.
“You’re trying to numb your true feelings with the substance – and people around you can see it’s bad for you.
“So then you take it to a secretive place, and that makes you a liar. Alcohol wasn’t just taking me away physically from where I wanted to be, it was taking me away morally from where I wanted to be. It was isolating me.”
Looking back, Julie can see that being so busy and having a “perfectionist” personality contributed to her struggle.
“Once I hit a point where there was absolutely no time for any of the restorative things in life – like proper time with family and rest, self care, good sleep, all of that sort of stuff. When all of that was out the window then everything else that had been accumulating throughout my life, it just chopped me off at my knees,” she told Love Stories.
“I’m very, very lucky that I had this bedrock surrounding me because it just would have gone very differently if I didn’t.”
By “bedrock” Julie is referring to Mick and the couple’s three boys, who remained steadfast throughout her most difficult chapter.
And yet to this day, Mick is candid in his own reflection about that time.
“As [Julie] got more and more unwell… she was clever at disguising it and carrying on,” he told the podcast. “I feel quite a bit of guilt around not identifying those things earlier and doing something about it.”
It’s an admission that Julie says “hurts my heart”, and she has a message for him.
“I’ve been masking stuff for my whole life. I was extremely accomplished at it,” she told Love Stories.
“Even though Mick is my best friend in the world and and we’ve been best friends literally since we were kids, and he knows me better than any human being on earth, I think my best energy was put towards making sure he didn’t know how bad I was because he’s the person I wanted to let down the least. Which of course means he’s the person I let down the most.”
Julie said she felt “so ashamed” about her drinking, but she also felt like it was the thing that was “getting me through so I hid and I didn’t talk about it”.
At her lowest point, in 2020, Julie contemplated taking her own life.
“I was not available to my family as a safe person or a support,” Julie told Love Stories, adding that it wasn’t until she “completely surrendered” and went to hospital for help that something changed.
The change wasn’t instant and there were bumps in the road, but by speaking out, a weight was lifted.
“I’ll never stop regretting some of that stuff, but the shame has died in the daylight,” Julie explained.
Now, six years on from her lowest moment, another new chapter is looming for Julie and Mick.
Julie has embarked on a talking tour nationally – a two-hour live show that is part cooking demo and part heart-to-heart chat.
She and Mick are also starting to look towards another, more permanent, change too.
“We’re entering a really exciting time in our lives. Grandkids… thinking about transitioning from full-time work into retirement,” Mick explained to Love Stories.
“I’m looking forward to the next stage of life where we just slow it all down and just hang out and keep it going.”
Whatever the future holds, Julie and Mick vow to face it together.
Julie had a poignant message for her husband as the pair celebrated their 31st wedding anniversary in January 2026.
“I knew within weeks of meeting you, when I was just 18, that you were my human,” the star told him.
“I had to wait a while for you to catch up; that’s your nature. Considerate and measured, patient and steady. All beautiful traits and all very frustrating to an impulsive impatient competitive PITA like me.
“But here we are babe. We’ve tested every parameter of our vows; better, worse, richer, poorer, sickness, health…
“I love you Mick, I love our life.”
If you or someone you know needs support, help is available from Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Check out The Australian Women’s Weekly’s Love Stories podcast for more intimate, surprising and quietly empowering tales.
