Tweed tradie Brent Draper reveals his mental health struggles and why he left MasterChef halfway through the season.
A local tradie reveals the heartbreaking reason behind his shock exit from MasterChef. LEARN WHY HE HAD TO LEAVE.
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CRIPPLED by anxiety and convinced he was dying, Tweed MasterChef contestant Brent Draper says “the light had gone” from his eyes in the weeks before his shock departure from the show on Sunday night.
The former tradie and young father is speaking up about his mental health challenges to help people close to the “edge” who can’t see a future for themselves.
“You have to put your hand up and ask for help because it doesn’t make you any less of a person,” he said.
“If you’re not speaking it, you’re storing it, and that gets heavy.”
If you need help call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Brent, who lives in Tweed Heads, interrupted the start of the second round cook on Sunday night to tell the judges that he couldn’t go on.
After a private chat with judge Jock Zonfrillo, he informs the contestants that his mental health is suffering under the increasing pressure and from being away from his family for so long.
It’s the first time in the show’s history that a contestant has voluntarily left.
“In the weeks before I left, the light had gone from my eyes, it wasn’t me, I was in a really bad place and when I watch the show I can recall how terrible I felt, how numb I was,” he said.
Brent says his mental health started spiralling downwards during hotel quarantine in Melbourne before filming started, this was just after Christmas.
“Growing up as a tradie who watches the footy and has a beer with mates, speaking about your feelings isn’t that common, so there was a lot of stuff that happened before I started the show that I hadn’t dealt with,” he says.
Then during filming his grandmother died and the pressure of MasterChef started to cause sleeplessness and he started to get physical symptoms of being unwell. He was also missing wife Shonleigh and Alfie, 2.5, having not seen them in months.
Doctors said he was experiencing anxiety and this triggered Brent, because a year ago his mother almost died from a blood clot in her lung. She had gone to the doctor and they had dismissed her saying it was anxiety.
“So under more pressure, and with little to no sleep, my brain was convinced that I’ve got cancer and I’m not going to see my kid grow up,” he says.
“I called my wife at night, had to put her up on FaceTime until I slowly dozed off because I couldn’t be alone with my own thoughts.
“I started to withdraw from my mates on the show, I would go straight to my room after filming – I literally thought I was dying.
“It would have been so easy just to give up, but with coaching from my wife I put my hand up. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
“And I don’t care what people think of me, it’s not weak to ask for him, we need to be making sure young men know this.”
Brent says breaking down on national TV has made him feel stronger, not weaker, and he’s still seeing a psychologist who is helping him work through things he’d put to one side or buried.
“Men are also emotional beings also, I was bawling my eyes out in my MasterChef apartment and I’m not ashamed to say that,” he said.
“I know real estate agents with bags of money crying in their cars on the way home – it’s also a big problem with tradies.
“Men in general need to speak more, no one wants to see their mate suffer.”
The family have bought a 28-seater bus that they’ll renovate and then head off on a trip around Australia, taking care of two online businesses from wherever they are.
Brent's also keen to start a YouTube channel and podcast and discuss cooking but also topics men wouldn’t typically discuss together – removing the stigma around topics like mental health, relationships and family dynamics.
It's currently week 9 of MasterChef and there’s 12 contestants remaining.
Tweed tradie earns a MasterChef apron
April 21: Tweed Heads tradie Brent Draper has ditched his sgteel-capped boots for a mixing bowl after being handed a MasterChef apron on Tuesday night.
The 31-year-old former boilermaker is one of 24 aspiring foodies heading into the kitchen with hopes of making it into the final of season 13.
“I left school and went straight into a trade and I loved it until five years ago. But just recently I’ve realised I wanted to do more with my life, and then I became a dad and thought ‘nup, I’ve got to have a crack at what I love and be a good role model for him’,” he said.
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Mr Draper said he’d only seen one season of the show and laughed when he was handed an apron, not quite believing he’d earned himself a place in the show. His Middle Eastern lamb with roasted eggplant and flatbread wowed the judges at auditions, securing him his coveted apron.
“I love food, not necessarily just the cooking of it, but the experience that it brings, the vibe and what happens around food,” he said.
“My aim is to cook and travel, we live in such an amazing country.”
Born in the rural Queensland town of Beaudesert, Mr Draper is the oldest of four children and spent several years in the Northern Territory before stints in Brisbane, Perth and Palm Beach.
He admits his path to MasterChef Australia started on shaky ground, cooking out of necessity when he lived in a share house at the age of 18 with boys who couldn’t turn on a stove.
Dinner duties fell to Brent and he soon found time to master more than the basics, turning the necessity into a passion.
A master of remaining calm under pressure, Mr Draper said he hopes his strengths in the kitchen will be working with proteins including fish and lamb and says his favourite vegetable to cook with is eggplant, citing the versatility of the humble ingredient.
When he’s not cooking up a storm, the Tweed resident enjoys surfing and fishing, and says his greatest ambition is to give his adored two-year-old son, Alfie a lifetime of adventure.
He admits his weakness is working with sweet treats and his fondest food memory is a night out with his wife and newborn son at Chin Chin in Melbourne’s iconic Flinders Lane.
Mr Draper said if it hadn’t been for his wife Shonleigh pushing him to follow his dreams, he would have never taken the plunge, particularly as it was also a risk financially.
“If it wasn’t for her I would be still living my old life, waiting for the weekend. But she’s opened me up to the possibility that I can do anything I want.
“Without her I wouldn’t be the person I am or am becoming.”
MasterChef airs 7.30pm on 10 every Wednesday and Thursday.
AMAZING BUZZ’: SUPANOVA RETURNS TO THE GOLD COAST
April 19: It may have been smaller this year but the Gold Coast Supanova still had all the costumes, characters and creativity of previous editions.
The event had its capacity limited under COVID-19 restrictions but it didn’t stop people from all walks of life enjoying the exhibitions and entertainment on display at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Supanova organiser Danial Zachariou said the event was capped at 8,000 people a day across the weekend, well short of the 29,000 who attended in 2019.
“There was still an amazing buzz and we were happy to bring enjoyment back into this community,” he said.
Amanda McCaughey from Swordcraft Brisbane said this year was the first time the live action role-play had a stall at the Gold Coast Supanova.
“We’ve all been here before as cos-goers, it’s a little bit quieter this year but I think everyone is happy to be back,” she said.
“I think we’ve definitely converted some people who like to make their own costumes and want their characters to be in action.”
WATCH: Why Stormtroopers are tapping across the Coast
April 15, 2021
STORMTROOPERS tapping their way down a popular tourist strip on the Gold Coast is just one of the weird, wacky and wild performances visitors and locals can expect in a hope to boost tourism and a struggling arts sector.
This weekend 25 tap dancers from KOTB Performance Academy will be dancing through the Broadbeach mall dressed as Stormtroopers to celebrate the return of Supanova.
The child dancers will be showing off their routine three times on both Saturday and Sunday during the Supanova weekend and director Ben Mayne said it’s a great way for them to get experience during a time when performances are few and far between.
“We did a Star Wars concert about six years ago and we still had the costumes from that, which tied in well with Supanova,” said Mayne, who is a former Tap Dog.
“We got the call on Monday morning and it usually takes a performance like this a lot longer to prepare, so we’ve been under the pump but we’re very happy with the opportunity.
“Things like this are incredibly important for the arts, in my opinion performance opportunities have been lacking on the Coast for kids and professionals.
“With COVID there’s been no comps or performances. The kids need that opportunity to keep up their skills.”
The performance is a part of an initiative brought in by councillor Darren Taylor to see activities continue throughout four key entertainment precincts in his division.
Mr Taylor has been rolling out the performances since December across Main Beach, Chevron Island, Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach and said this weekend’s performance was the perfect time to bring out some fun costumes.
“These larger events are important to the local business community and the activations compliment them by bringing atmosphere and patrons to local business in the area,” he said.
“In addition to bringing excitement, colour and entertainment during COVID with so many performers unable to commit to events, these activations encourage artists to continue to perform and work on new skills to present to the public.
“It is a tremendous way to continue to develop local talent.”
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