French chef, restaurateur and MasterChef judge Jean-Christophe Novelli lives for food – but also, more importantly, his family.
“They are the reason – nothing else,” he tells Woman’s Day of wife Michelle Kennedy, 50, daughter Christina, 39, and sons Jean, 18, Jacques, 14, and Valentino, 10.
And while their cute but chaotic home life – in Hertfordshire, England, at the family’s 14th-century farmhouse in the village of Tea Green – would make great TV, he’s once again putting them first, and says the family wouldn’t feel comfortable doing a TV documentary series or reality show like his long-time colleague Gordon Ramsay.
“It’s not something you want to expose. It’s not easy when one of your kids has tremendous issues,” the MasterChef judge says of Valentino, who has autism and is non-verbal.
“We cope very well and we’ve managed to turn around a not very nice situation to something that’s becoming so enjoyable for all of us. Do we want to share that? No, I don’t think so. Gordon, obviously, whatever he touches turns to gold, and his family are fantastic – I would much rather be on the couch watching them.”
That is, when he isn’t in the MasterChef studio cooking up some great telly of his own with fellow judges Poh Ling Yeow, Sofia Levin and Andy Allen.
“Which one of your kids do you love the most?” Jean-Christophe responds when asked to name who he is closest to. “
Every time that we are together there is a natural bond. We don’t have to be together, we want to be together. It’s like we have the same blood and have the same mission.”
And Jean-Christophe says new dad Andy Allen, 37, has been hitting him up for some parenting tips.
“I’m an expert in changing nappies,” he laughs. “My wife and I have been changing nappies for the last 17 years. Just to raise a kid with love every single day, that’s the most important thing.”
He’s even put his hand up to do the food at recently engaged Sofia’s wedding.
“I had the privilege to meet Sofia’s lovely fiance and I was very impressed,” he says. “If I am in Australia, I will be there and I would be happy to do the food.”
BONDING WITH ROBERT
The line-up of celebrity guest judges this season is quite impressive – Duchess Meghan, Jimmy Barnes and Robert Irwin. But Jean-Christophe had a particular affinity to Robert, who he says reminds him of fellow chef Jamie Oliver.
“I don’t compliment. I don’t talk to please. I say it because I mean it,” he says.
“The first time I met Jamie I said, ‘Bloody hell.’ I was very impressed. Robert’s nonstop, he’s actually quite amazing the way he handles it all.”
“My wife was a massive fan of [Robert’s late dad] Steve. I said, ‘She used to go and see your dad all the time.’ And he stopped and it was like [he was having] a flashback of his dad. He’s such a lovely kid.”
And, Jean-Christophe reveals Robert was keen to work with him again! “He said, ‘Are you going to come on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!?”
“I said, ‘Robert, I can’t. You could pay me millions of pounds, I would not go on that show! I don’t mind jumping from the plane, but I can’t eat maggots, I can’t be next to a dirty fly.’”
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