‘Bit silly if I wasn’t nervous’: Melissa Leong’s stunning debut

Jiu-Jitsu fighter, celebrity foodie and now catwalk star, Melissa Leong isn’t afraid to say “yes” to things she finds a little bit terrifying.

Melissa Leong backstage before she walked in the Gary Bigeni show during Australian Fashion Week, at Carriageworks, Eveleigh. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

She’s a Jiu-Jitsu fighter, a celebrity foodie and now catwalk star – Melissa Leong has made her Australian Fashion Week debut.

The popular television host headlined Gary Bigeni’s collection showing on Thursday, holding her own among seasoned modelling professionals as she made her way down the runway.

“I couldn’t have guessed that this would be on my bingo card for 2025 but it is good to say yes to things that slightly terrify you I think,” Leong told Confidential backstage.

“It would be a little bit silly if I wasn’t nervous.”

Leong was a respected food writer and critic before joining the cast of MasterChef Australia and then going on to helm Dessert Masters.

She is also a fan of UFC and has guest hosted Fox Sports and Kayo’s coverage of the sport.

“The pendulum swings, doesn’t it?” she said.

“I think that is one of the best parts about my job is that I am offered the most incredible opportunities to do things I would never have dreamt of so why would you ever say no to that.

“I don’t want to leave anything on the table at the end of this life so why not?”

Melissa Leong walked in the Gary Bigeni show during Australian Fashion Week, at Carriageworks, Eveleigh. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

Leong has long championed Australian labels and has a particularly strong relationship with Bigeni.

She sees fashion as a further way of expressing her creativity.

“I am an introvert at heart and so style has been something that has always helped me feel like I can do the thing,” she explained.

“And now I know I can do the thing and I’ve built more confidence in myself, it is still something that allows me to speak without having to utter a word and I think that is a really powerful thing about fashion.”