Marrying at 18 isn’t for everyone but, for MasterChef Australia contestant Hannah Johnson, it turned out to be one of the best decisions she’s ever made.
Nineteen years after the wedding, the 37-year-old and husband Tim are still going strong.
“We’ve grown together,” Hannah tells TV WEEK.
“I think we had a lot of similar desires in life. We wanted to buy houses and renovate. We had the same vision of building a life on a five-acre property and having a big family. Having the same goals keeps us grounded.”
That doesn’t mean the journey has always been easy for the couple, who share four children and have navigated nearly two decades of life’s ups and downs together.
“It’s also been really painful,” she admits. “Raising kids together can be really difficult. There’s a little bit of neurodiversity in the family as well, so that adds another whole layer.”
More recently, one of Hannah’s biggest challenges came when she stepped into the MasterChef kitchen. For the first time in her life, she found herself battling anxiety.
“I actually got quite anxious, and I’d never had anxiety before,” she recalls. “Walking into the unknown every day, going, ‘Can I do this? Will I even know that ingredient?’
“They can throw so many curveballs at you. You’d think the more you did it, the less anxious you’d be, but it stayed with me every cook.”
This week, culinary superstar Curtis Stone returns to the kitchen for Masters Week. And, after winning his previous pie and ice cream challenge – landing her famous cheeseburger pie in Coles stores nationwide – Hannah was feeling the pressure to perform.
“I felt there was extra pressure,” she reveals. “I wanted to do well because last time I did so well. So there was a battle in my mind.”
MasterChef Australia airs Monday to Wednesday at 7.30pm and Sunday at 7pm on Network Ten and 10.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
