MasterChef Australia all-star Minoli De Silva has finally addressed a brow-raising comment made by Chrissie Swan about the cook’s cancer diagnosis.
The 36-year-old recently appeared on The Project to promote her latest appearance on MasterChef. However, she also revealed the heartbreaking news that she discovered her breast cancer had returned the same day she was asked to star in the cooking competition once again.
While Minoli gained sympathy online, Chrissie did not — particularly due to her gobsmacking response to the news.
Following Minoli’s candid admission, the panellist exclaimed: “Wow, from the sublime to the ridiculous, I don’t know which one is which!” Huh????
The former Big Brother star’s co-host Sarrah Le Marquand then pivoted the conversation to jaffles, the latest meal at the centre of the MasterChef kitchen.
Now, Minoli has said that she was “a bit startled” by the on-air blunder in a chat with Yahoo! Lifestyle.
“I love watching The Project, and there is a sense of banter that surrounds you, so I just accepted that it was just a slip of the tongue,” she said. “Chrissie is very fun, she’s very quick-witted.
“I think it was just not her finest moment when someone admits that they’ve gone through breast cancer and her response is to make a quick remark… but I think on a national level it’s probably not the right message that gets sent out.”
MasterChef‘s Minoli De Silva Reveals She Spoke to Network Ten After the Incident
Minoli was also taken aback by the lack of questions about her wellbeing during the segment. However, she had accepted that “things like this happen on live television”.
She continued: “I’m so glad that I had the support of everyone watching and they were able to feel the uncomfortableness and they spoke up for me.”
The chef revealed that she also addressed the blunder following The Project‘s broadcast.
“I spoke to The Project team later and they kind of understood that their response wasn’t ideal,” she said. “People make mistakes, everyone says silly stuff all the time… Unfortunately, it was on live TV.”
Minoli returned to the MasterChef kitchen this year after finishing in 10th place in 2021.
While she was eliminated on Tuesday night, things are looking up for the fan-favourite.
In June, Minoli will launch her very first restaurant, Ella, in Darwin.
“I’ve really tried to embody everything that I love about cooking, the flavours I love, and make sure that I don’t deviate from that and my passion as a restaurant,” she said.
“I feel like I’m living a dream.”
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