If you tuned into Sunday night’s episode of My Kitchen Rules, you no doubt saw what was probably one of the most explosive confrontations yet.
At Pat and Bianca’s instant restaurant Harlequin, the guests’ conversation turned to first impressions with Lyn Ellbourn admitting that she thought Karolina Borkovic was “trans” when she saw her for the first time.
Now, Karolina, who confessed the comment is something she’s very sensitive about, has opened up exclusively to Now To Love about how she felt in the wake of it all, plus what she really thinks of her partner, Milly Hams.
Milly and Karolina are the first MKR pair of strangers to cook together. (Image: Channel Seven)
During Sunday night’s episode, one contestant told Karolina, “You’re a very tall woman, you’re extraordinarily tall,” to which Lyn added, “It’s true, I thought you were trans.”
And Karolina is still offended by her competitior’s remark.
“I guess the fact that prior to that instant restaurant (we’d been going to a few), every time I’d walk out in the foyer she’d be like “You look amazing, I love what you’re wearing,” and then on that night she said that, it really threw me,” Karolina tells Now To Love.
“When I came out in that dress that I wore that night, she was like, ‘Oh my god you look so stunning,’ and so because she said it like that, I think it just put me into a bit of a shock. And then I turned because I thought, ‘Hold on, why would someone say this apart from just being freaking rude and a bit of a bully?’ That’s my perspective because of that, it didn’t make sense.
“You know, I’ve got two daughters as well so I just don’t like the fact that if a woman’s tall, does that make any tall person a transgender person? If I turned around to the short people of the world and said, ‘You’re short, you’re a dwarf,” same s—.”
“It really threw me,” Karolina says of Lyn’s trans comment. (Image: Channel Seven)
The episode has led to some backlash from viewers who expressed how trans should not be considered an insulting word.
“I’m sorry but there are worse things in the world than being mistaken for trans – especially in this day and age,” one viewer tweeted.
“Okay, we already know how I feel about this so let me just say that I think it’s gross that it’s 2019 and our society is still fetishising the word “trans” and portraying being trans as something to be ashamed of and considering trans women as lesser women. Okay, moving on,” penned another.
But Karolina has commented that one part was edited out that she wished had been included.
“The one thing that was missed was the fact that I said that I style transgender people. We all get that things get put in, things don’t, I would’ve liked that because that’s a bit I’m very proud of. I’ve always loved people that own themselves and fight for who they really are so I guess that’s the bit that was little bit much because I fought for that a bit later on.”
Karolina says Lyn’s apology was fake. (Image: Channel Seven)
Despite Lyn’s apology, Karolina has slammed it for being fake.
“I’m the most forgiving person you’ll ever friggin’ meet, I really am, but I don’t like being force fed it and I like a proper apology,” she says.
“And this is the other thing I did say. If someone comes to me and looks at me and says, ‘I’m really sorry Karolina, I really really am,’ I would have totally accepted it but it didn’t happen that way, I’m sorry. It’s got to be done right. I even said at that night that I even teach my nine year-old how to say sorry properly to her own sister and this woman at 60 who is a teacher, to be honest she should know better.”
WATCH: My Kitchen Rules 2019: perfect strangers compete together. Post continues after video…
Karolina may not have found a friend in Lyn, but as for her surprise partner Milly, that’s another story.
“I adore her, we talk all the time, she’s a really lovely person,” she says.
“To be true, I get along with most people. Statistically, via the table there was one person that I didn’t obviously for that reason but her and I just did not click, in my soul I didn’t feel it. I think it works both ways, you’ve just got to stop trying, I don’t want to force myself onto anyone. If you don’t like me, you don’t like me, goodbye! I’m not going to marry her!”
“I adore her, we talk all the time, she’s a really lovely person.” (Image: Channel Seven)
While the show makes it look like Milly and Karolina are constantly clashing, the 46 year-old socialite says they actually work quite well as a team.
“They’re acting like I’m going to yell at her, I don’t yell at anybody if I don’t need it, I just say what I need to say. If anything she’s quite a quiet achiever, she’s a bit of a director herself! She is very similar in nature to my own partner, he’s soft, genuine but very strategic and understanding of lots of things whereas I’m just a mouth!”
Milly and Karolina are making history as the first pair of strangers to ever cook together and if you thought it looked hard when you’re with a loved one, Karolina says it’s even tougher when you don’t know the person you’re cooking with.
“I wasn’t even allowed to even converse with her very much, only at the table. You’ll find out what goes on and it’s certainly not an easy feat. We were given a lot of different issues to deal with so it’s a hard one.”
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