MasterChef judge Melissa Leong is Who magazine’s sexiest person of 2020

MasterChef judge Melissa Leong looks absolutely breathtaking in a glamorous photoshoot for Who’s sexiest people issue.

Australia immediately fell in love with Melissa Leong when she graced our screens as the new MasterChef judge, so it’s not hard to see why she has been crowned the title of Who’s Sexiest Person of 2020.

The 38-year-old foodie was picked alongside former MasterChef winner Andy Allen and Scottish chef Jock Zonfrillo to replace Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris on the hit Channel 10 cooking series earlier this year.

And it’s been a hit, in strong part due to Leong’s eloquent and genuine sensibility which has earned her a rapidly developing fanbase.

Months after hitting celebrity status, Sydney-born Leong has graced the cover of the glossy magazine for its iconic ‘Sexiest People’ issue, where she is pictured wearing an off-the-shoulder pink gown.

RELATED: How Melissa Leong revitalised MasterChef 2020

Melissa Leong is Who's sexiest person. Picture: Who

She also appears in the inside spread in an emerald green dress and classic white pantsuit.

“People contact me all the time to say that me being on MasterChef means they’re getting to see faces like mine – and theirs – in positions of power,” Leong told the publication of the honour.

“To be an Asian woman on the cover of the Sexiest issue will also mean something to others who aren’t used to seeing difference in this capacity.”

Gorgeous in green. Picture: Who Magazine.

Leong quickly became the heart and soul of the new-look MasterChef this year, largely thanks to her ability to connect deeply with all contestants.

In emotional scenes in an episode that aired in May, Leong wept with Reynold Poernomo and Khanh Ong as they spoke candidly about their childhoods – Ong being born in a refugee camp, and Poernomo’s family having immigrated from Indonesia.

Leong’s family is from Singapore, with Chinese ancestry.

Leong has become MasterChef 2020’s standout star. Picture: Who Magazine.

“To tease open those conversations and to celebrate the stories that are not too dissimilar to my own … it’s not something that is lost on me,” she told news.com.au at the time.

“We all understand there’s some sacrifices that were made on our behalfs in order for us to have opportunities to thrive and to grow in this incredibly magical country that is Australia. I think that’s a shared consciousness no matter what your cultural background is.”

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Andy Allen, Melissa Leong and Jock Zonfrillo became the new MasterChef judges in 2020. Picture: MasterChef/Channel 10

Leong has also opened up about her own private struggles with viewers, recently revealing her battle with clinical depression and that she uses a codeword on the MasterChef set to tell producers she’s struggling.

“I have a codeword with our executive producer,” Leong said.

“There are some times when I just need to go into a quiet space and shut the door and have half an hour to myself.”