Melissa Leong: 'I find the notion of celebrity and fame dubious at best'

TV personality Melissa Leong never considered how fame could affect her life, but the MasterChef Australia host admits she’s had to draw a few metaphorical lines in the sand since she went from food writer to bona fide TV superstar. 

There’s been a marriage breakdown she’s tried to keep out of the headlines, and she’s changed friendship circles, but she continues to chase her biggest buzz – a bountiful work life that brings high-profile chefs, restauranteurs and celebrities into her orbit. 

“I find the notion of celebrity and fame dubious at best,” Leong says. “It is not something I am entirely comfortable with.

“I love my job and understand that an implication of that success is being recognised, and with that comes people who want to know things about you. It sounds reasonable on paper, but in reality, it’s weird.”

Arriving as one of the new hosts of MasterChef Australia in 2020 saw Leong’s career shift from cruise control to fast lane. Audiences fell in love with her foodie banter and indulged in the “we’re all in this together” inclusivity she brought to the competition – changing the tone of the show entirely. 

Every aspect about her on-screen life has been written about or turned into morning radio conversation – from the sensual nature in which she tastes food to whether she’ll find a spot on the desk at The Project. Oh, the rumour mill is real in her world. 

She’s spoken about her anxiety and never shied from revealing she started therapy in her 20s. The only difference now is that everyone is watching, given she’s in the public eye. 

Leong happily leans into the power she holds as a social media influencer beyond what happens on set, embracing the joys of fashion with fans ready to inhale her every move. 

A quick Google search reveals consumer websites luring you to recreate her style icon moments, one episode at a time (with built-in purchases, too).

From last year’s obsession with “what earrings will she be wearing” on the show to magazines writing about head-to-toe looks, Leong might be shy of the camera but knows how to work it.

A recent post of her wearing an embroidered Zara midi dress with a Gucci belt sent her followers into a spin, keen to clone immediately.  

“I’m actually an introvert,” Leong says. “I am grateful I get to do a job I love and have people love what I do, but I don’t revel walking into a room full of people or having eyes on me all of the time.”

The Lexus ambassador, who will judge this year’s Emerging Designer Award for Myer’s Fashions On Your Front Lawn during a new age for the Spring Racing Carnival for a second year running, has spent her pandemic year working and counts her blessings she hasn’t been affected much, beyond a desire to travel to Sydney to see her family. She does call her mother every day to check in. 

A new season of Celebrity MasterChef kicks off this month, bringing together some of the biggest names – from fashion designer Collette Dinnigan to Olympian Ian Thorpe and AFL star Nick Reiwoldt – to show us their skills in the kitchen.

But can celebrities actually cook? “Yes, they sure can,” Leong says. 

Filmed in a snappy one-month turnaround due to tight schedules, the show might be raising money for charities, but the pressure in the kitchen can still reduce these stars to tears.

“It’s not just a show of who can we bring in with a name; it’s those who can cook a meal and get it on a plate,” Leong says. 

“It’s been a secret passion of theirs for a long time, and they usually cook for family and friends at home. To see them do that and reveal yet another side to what they can do is amazing.

“Having 10 people in the kitchen who are at the top of their game, and have been for decades in their field, and see them in this position of vulnerability is really brave. They definitely bring a different energy to the show.”

A white ragu boils on the stove in the background, and Leong will head out to her backyard later to cook chicken over some coals – for someone who tastes food all day long, she’s still inspired to get into her own kitchen and whip up a meal. 

“Yes, I do talk about food and eat food all day, but I still love coming home and cooking. I always have,” she says. 

She keeps fit doing pilates and meditation and has settled into a new home since splitting from her ex-husband late last year. 

“What is essential for me right now is creating my safe space,” Leong says. “Home is an important concept for me. It’s somewhere I need to feel like I am completely myself.”

With tabloid media keen to know her every move, Leong is doing her best to keep her private life out of the headlines. When she shared a photo on Instagram of her new beau, it sent the media in a spin.

“I try to be as real and honest as I can, and keep my private life separate as much as possible,” she says.

“I am known for telling it like it is. I don’t think I will ever completely shut the door on talking about myself in the context of the things I go through. If that helps someone else feel less alone then I am all for that.

“But there is a fine line to tread. It’s a tough balance to strike keeping the personal for yourself, but an important one as a human being because we need to be protective of ourselves.

“For me, it comes down to intuition. I do what feels right for me,” Leong says. “COVID has been a time of tremendous clarity for people – that may mean changes in relationship status or friendship status, but it’s a perspective thing.”