MasterChef Judge and artist Poh Ling Yeow reveals the worst decision she’s ever made

Celebrity chef and Adelaide artist Poh Ling Yeow has shared the “worst rolling of the dice” decision that has haunted her for years – and how she finally made her peace with it.

MasterChef judge Poh Ling Yeow has opened up about a decision that plagued her for years.

Speaking to The Imperfect Podcast presenters Hugh van Cuylenburg, Ryan Shelton and Josh van Cuylenburg, Yeow opened up about a choice she made just before her mother Christina’s death in November 2022.

Poh Ling Yeow Age 3 with her mum Christina in Kuala Lumpur

Poh Ling Yeow shared heartwarming family photos to celebrate her 50th birthday. Picture: Instagram

“I was overseas, that’s the thing I keep returning to. I just keep wondering why I chose to roll the dice because I knew she was ill at the time, quite ill,” she said on the episode released on Monday.

“But I just sort of had this blind faith that she would be fine, because she’s such a trooper

“And the only way I’ve gotten through it is to own it.

“This was just the worst rolling of the dice ever. I rolled it wrong, like big time.”

Christina died while Poh was still overseas.

MasterChef favourite Poh Ling Yeow says her decision to travel overseas while her mother was ill is a decision she regrets to this day. Picture: David Caird

Yeow said owning up to her mistake helped “take the weight off.”

“As soon as I was like ‘Oh, this is actually very simple’, I just have to own that it was kind of a shit decision, based on what I knew and I’m just going to have to live with it.”

The episode was themed around “the reality of a ‘roll of the dice’ gone wrong”, after making a bad decision, as part of a wider conversation about vulnerabilities, struggles and imperfections.

Yeow had previously spoken about channelling her grief into her cooking and art.