MasterChef Australia 2024‘s Savindri “Sav” Perera has revealed she was “scared” to compete following a pre-show mental health battle with body dysmorphia.
Sav, one of seven contestants remaining in this year’s cooking competition, took to social media on June 26 to open up about her “struggles” ahead of the show.
**CONTENT WARNING: the following discusses body dysmorphia and may be distressing to some readers.
The 30-year-old addressed negative comments she’s received since her foray into reality TV, revealing she previously suffered from intense body dysmorphia. This condition affects how someone perceives and feels about their body.
“One of the hardest battles I had to overcome before competing was severe body dysmorphia,” Sav wrote. “The amount of absolute hatred I have for myself after a lifetime of being made to feel ugly for being fat was immense.
“Yet every morning, I put my makeup on & show up because my desire to compete is bigger than my hatred for my appearance.”
Sav went on to describe how she didn’t feel like she was “skinny and pretty like TV personalities usually are”.
As such, she was “scared” to appear on MasterChef 2024.
MasterChef Australia‘s Sav says she knew the audience would ‘take a problem’ with her
Sav admitted that she knew viewers would “take a problem” with her because she is “blunt and direct”.
“It is sometimes really, really hard for me to watch myself purely because of the intense fatphobia I have towards myself. The hatred I have towards my body at times is awful.” she continued.
“Years of therapy later, it’s better, but it’s not easy.
“That self-loathing manifested in a way that led to me convincing myself that I don’t deserve to take up space in this world.”
She went on to say how she has read many comments about her “awful voice” and “how [her] smile is awful”, which is why she wanted to share her experience with body dysmorphia.
“Whilst I don’t engage with these things, I still see it, and while I can ignore it on most days, after a while, I wonder if it’s actually true when I know it isn’t,” Sav explained.
“There are many people, women, men, just people, who feel like they cannot take up space because they don’t fit society’s demands of them.”
She added, “I hope you know you should do what you want to do anyway. I hope it doesn’t stop you from going where you want to go.”
MasterChef Australia‘s Sav shares follow-up post
A day later, Sav shared a follow-up post in appreciation of the supportive messages she’d received from fans.
“I knew that representing myself as I am was going to be important for my personal integrity, but to see the impact of me just being completely myself [is] beyond what I could have ever imagined,” she penned.
Sav concluded: “Thank you. Truly. I am very grateful to be part of the conversation of representation.”
If you or anyone you know is struggling and needs support, call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or Lifeline on 13 11 14, both of which provide trained counsellors you can talk with 24/7. You can also speak with someone confidentially at Headspace by calling 1800 650 890 or chat online here. If you are in immediate danger, call 000.
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