Coronavirus: MasterChef star Poh Ling Yeow isolated from husband

Starring in MasterChef might be fun, but for celebrity chef Poh Ling Yeow, it definitely has a downside during a global pandemic.

Poh Ling Yeow, a MasterChef Australia runner-up and now again a contestant, hasn’t been able to see her husband Jono Bennett for a month because of coronavirus travel restrictions.

Ms Yeow is shooting the current season of MasterChef in Melbourne, which is proving difficult for her marriage as she lives in Adelaide.

With strict border controls across the country to stop the spread of COVID-19, Ms Yeow has been unable to return home between breaks in filming.

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Poh hasn’t seen her husband for month.

“The borders are on lockdown so I haven't been back to Adelaide for over a month to see Jono, my dogs and family, or run Jamface [her market stall] on Sundays,” Ms Yeow told Daily Mail Australia.

Jamface was also set to open a cafe at Adelaide Airport by the end of the year, but these plans have been delayed indefinitely thanks to the novel coronavirus.

“We're in a holding pattern like everyone else,” she said.

“But on the whole, I am an optimist. I always find the upsides, quality time with loved ones being one of them.”

The celebrity chef is staying optimistic.

Ms Yeow met her husband in 2009 on the first season of MasterChef. She was a contestant while he was working behind the scenes as a runner.

They started dating after the show's finale, and married five years later in 2014.

“Every time the show comes around, it's essentially the anniversary of us meeting,” she said.

But they now can’t celebrate it together, for the time being.