Reality TV

EXCLUSIVE: Celebrity MasterChef contestants Rebecca Gibney, Ian Thorpe and more spill the beans on the new season

“I laughed, I cried, I may have sworn.”
Loading the player...

Celebrity MasterChef Australia is returning for its first season since 2009 and it has an all-star cast we can’t wait to see compete in the kitchen.

With stars like Rebecca Gibney and Matt Le Nevez going up against Olympian Ian Thorpe, there’s guaranteed to be some drama.

Now some of the stars have spilled their secrets from the set of Celebrity MasterChef ahead of the show’s premiere.

Keep reading to see what they had to say about the new season.

(Ten)

Rebecca Gibney: ‘My son made me do it’

We’re used to seeing her on our TV screens, but Rebecca admits starring on MasterChef Australia was unlike any other experience.

In fact, the Back To The Rafters star, 56, says stepping into the MasterChef kitchen for the first time was “one of the most challenging, emotionally intense rollercoaster experiences of my life”.

“I laughed, I cried, I may have sworn – sorry mum – and made friends for life,” she wrote on social media, adding it was her son Zac who encouraged her to give it a go.

Taking to Instagram to show his support for his mum, 17-year-old Zac wrote, “GO MUM!”

(Ten)

Tilly Ramsay: ‘Dad can be annoying!’

As the daughter of outspoken celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, Tilly is a frontrunner to take out the cooking show.

And the 19-year-old admits she’s feeling the pressure to make her dad proud.

“With my food, he’s really tough on me,” Tilly previously said.

Despite this, she admits her fiery dad is actually a big softie at heart, revealing the pair often cook at home together.

“He does try to take over the kitchen, which can be annoying, but he teaches me so much,” she says.

“Dad helped me get into cooking and advises me in the kitchen. He’s really happy that someone else in the family loves to cook.”

(Ten)

Chrissie Swan: ‘I swore a lot!’

During a recent chat with Nova’s Fitzy & Wippa, Chrissie revealed just what viewers can expect to see dished out during the season.

“As expected, Thorpie is quite competitive,” said the former Big Brother star-turned-radio host.

Chrissie, 47, also went on to reveal she had a ball hanging out with Tilly on set.

“She’s very posh, very funny and very refined. I swear like a wharfie around her though, I don’t know what it is about her.”

Chrissie admits her serving style on the show was her weakness.

“I’ll just put a spoon in a giant pot and slop it on there,” she laughed.

(Ten)

Matt Le Nevez: ‘I was a really bad cook’

Australia fell in love with Matt as Dr Patrick Reid in the TV drama Offspring.

Now living with girlfriend Michelle Smith and their two kids, the Aussie heartthrob, 42, says it was his days as a bachelor that forced him to learn to cook.

“I left home pretty young and had to learn how to cook and I was really bad at it,” he says.

“As soon as I had kids it just changed – what I wanted to do for them and give them, and really create a beautiful home around the kitchen.”

(Ten)

Ian Thorpe: ‘I want to win!’

With nine Olympic medals under his belt, swimming great Ian certainly understands performing under pressure.

So how does the pool compare to the kitchen?

“I am bringing my competitive side to MasterChef,” he says. “I love to cook and I want to win.”

During filming, Ian, who turns 39 this week, also struck up a special bond with Tilly Ramsay, taking to Instagram to share a black and white image of the pair hugging.

“When you have the pleasure of giving a delightful person from the other side of the world a hug and a kiss to make them feel better.”

(Ten)

Dilruk Jayasinha: ‘It was culinary chaos!’

Comedian Dilruk is set to serve up plenty of laughs this season.

“I’ve been eating a lot of food in my time so I think know what tastes good and what doesn’t,” he tells.

The funnyman, 36, who says being on set was “culinary chaos”, admits his passion for cooking came about due to the pandemic.

“I had to learn how to cook on my own as opposed to getting it delivered to me!”

Related stories