Manu Feildel reveals why he is still mates with Pete Evans

Manu Feildel reveals why he is still mates with controversial anti-vaxxer and one-time celebrity chef Pete Evans, ahead of the return of My Kitchen Rules.

While most have abandoned the controversial anti-vax, autism cure spruiking one-time celebrity chef Pete Evans, Manu Feildel is not among them.

The pair travelled the length and breadth of Australia for 11 seasons as judges on Seven’s My Kitchen Rules before the show was rested in 2021, after the ratings disasters of The Rivals season.

Evans parted ways with Seven – and his rumoured $800,000 contract – for him to focus on his “alternative lifestyle” empire.

He had frequently been in the headlines for his championing of a Paleo diet, and drawn criticism over comments around fluoridation, sunscreen, vaccinations and Covid-19 treatment recipes.

Manu Feildel and Pete Evans in MKR.

Feildel, chatting ahead of the launch of the new MKR season on Sunday night, said he and Evans were still very good mates.

“We still chat once a month and every now and then,” he said.

“Look things have changed for everyone. Pete is happy with his life and there’s no awkwardness there.”

Famed Queen of the Home cooks Nigella Lawson is sitting beside Feildel at the tables now, and Feildel said it felt a little strange at first to not have his good mate there on the first day back of shooting.

“Look it was and it wasn’t,” he added.

“I mean there was so much change between the last season and this new one.

“There was so many things that needed to change anyway.”

Manu Feildel and Pete Evans during the 2017 season of My Kitchen Rules. Picture: Channel 7

Feildel also revealed that he and Evans had worried for a few years about the direction of the reality cooking show, which was originally developed to knock Ten’s MasterChef off its perch.

“The last few years we were just saying, you know, like, we‘re going away from what we used to be,” he said.

“And we’ve lost a few viewers because of that. There was too much fights and too much stabbing in the back. Too much of all of that BS.

“And I think that one of the reasons I was OK to come back because I wanted to come back in a positive way.”

A look at the first episode shows the show has delivered on its promise that it would return to its original recipe of everyday people cooking treasured family recipes in their own kitchens.

Manu Feildel and Nigella Lawson are judging the new version of Seven's My Kitchen Rules. Picture: Seven

There’s also an easy chemistry between Feildel and Lawson. Despite, as he says, he’s the second best now, with the first round of contestants going almost gaga at the beloved British cook.

“Oh, I mean, I’ve said it from day one, I always thought it was going to be the case when I heard Nigella was joining us,” Feildel said.

“And here we go everybody loves her – so it’s fantastic.”

He’s even OK that he’s not the only one with a foreign accent, laughing out loud at the question.

“To be honest with you. I think we’re a great team, we had (established) that really early on and we had a good time and laughs.

“She’s a wonderful woman.”

Except if she’s hungry.

“She gets angry when she’s hungry,” Feildel laughs.

“It’s funny though – I just take the mickey out of her.

“She’s just gets grumpy which is funny.”

MKR, Sunday, 7pm, Seven

Originally published as Manu Feildel reveals why he is still mates with Pete Evans