NewsBite

MasterChef star Poh Ling Yeow’s crazy love story

She is the favourite to win this year’s MasterChef. But Poh’s love life could make for its own reality TV show.

MasterChef star Poh Ling Yeow’s crazy love story

She was the runner up in the first season of MasterChef and has returned to this year’s all stars season.

But Poh Ling Yeow’s personal life could make for its own reality show.

The favourite to win the Channel 10 cooking show this year opened up about her love life in a 2017 interview with Mamamia’s I Don’t Know How She Does It podcast, where she revealed her ex-husband moved on with her best friend after their marriage fell apart.

“He’s my ex-husband. She’s my best friend. And when we broke up, they got together and it’s all dandy. It’s actually really good,” the 47-year-old said at the time.

RELATED: The verdict is in on the new MasterChef judges

RELATED: Gordon Ramsay’s expletive-laden MasterChef rant

Poh Ling Yeow has returned to MasterChef this year. Picture: MasterChef/Network 10
Poh Ling Yeow has returned to MasterChef this year. Picture: MasterChef/Network 10

“Everyone tries to complicate it for us. From the outside in, they’re all like, ‘Love triangle!’ And I’m like, ‘No!’ He’s like my brother now and I think … people are never interested in the backstory. They want everything to be sordid.”

Poh married her first husband, Matt Phipps, in 1990. The pair got divorced nine years later.

Phipps went on to marry Poh’s best friend of more than 20 years, Sarah Rich.

Explaining the breakdown of her marriage, Poh said the pair simply grew apart.

“For about three years we were like flatmates, we were really good mates and we couldn’t figure out how to break up because there was so much pressure from both sides of the family,” she said.

Julie Goodwin beat Poh in the grand finale of the first season.
Julie Goodwin beat Poh in the grand finale of the first season.

“The next step was to have a child and in our heads we knew we couldn’t bring a child into such a volatile relationship.

“We broke up on really good terms. It was still really hard. Breakups are horrible. Because no matter what, even now, I still have a little cry over it and it’s not because I wish we were still together or anything.

“But there’s something about two humans wanting to murder each other like that, that is so sad.

“When you torment each other, destroy each other. It’s still really sad.”

Poh went on to marry aspiring actor Jono Bennett. The happy couple met on the first season of MasterChef, where Bennett was working as a production assistant.

Poh Ling Yeow and Jono Bennett at the 2016 AACTA Awards. Picture: Caroline McCredie/Getty Images for AFI
Poh Ling Yeow and Jono Bennett at the 2016 AACTA Awards. Picture: Caroline McCredie/Getty Images for AFI

“We weren’t really allowed to talk because that’s part of the rules. You can’t fraternise with the staff because I guess they can tell you secrets (about the next challenge) or something,” she said.

“I think it got a little more charged because we weren’t allowed to talk to each other. It was like the playground … cute looks across the yard, sort of thing. Then, after the show we hooked up.

“There was a wrap party and we exchanged numbers straight away and it was all guns after that.”

It is unclear if the pair are still together.

Showing just how united Poh and her ex-husband were in their new relationships, the two couples went into business together when they opened their own cafe, Jamface, in Adelaide, in 2016.

MasterChef airs weeknights and Sundays at 7.30pm on Channel 10

Originally published as MasterChef star Poh Ling Yeow’s crazy love story

Add your comment to this story

To join the conversation, please Don't have an account? Register

Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/reality-tv/masterchef-star-poh-ling-yeows-crazy-love-story/news-story/88a7dfb8a067c75d541fceaa97897845