After my divorce, I made this promise to my daughter

French chef and restaurateur Jean-Christophe Novelli is best known locally for being a judge on MasterChef Australia. Reflecting on the important women in his life, the 64-year-old says he views his first marriage as a “recipe that went wrong”, and shares how he met his second wife in an airport, and the close relationship he has with his adult daughter.

Jean-Christophe Novelli: “I have always believed in marriage … When I am with someone, I am all in and will die for that person.”Credit: Peter Tarasiuk

My maternal grandmother, Germaine, was born in Normandy, France, and had three daughters. During World War II, she escaped the Germans by walking almost 1000 kilometres from her home town of Arras in northern France to the Pyrenees. My mother, Monique, was seven years old and was carried on her 12-year-old aunt’s shoulders.

My paternal grandmother, Louisa Novelli, was born in Piedmont, Italy. She was a great cook and spoke with her eyes. She could only communicate in Italian. She was a brave lady who walked five kilometres every day to the hospital where she worked. She taught me how to make tomato sauce, and always made fresh gnocchi and agnolotti. She passed away when I was 15.

Mum is 94. She had polio at age five, and was bed-bound until she was 16. She went through hell and is a very resilient woman. She had four children and worked as a seamstress, while my dad, Jean, worked as a labourer. I am the eldest. I have two brothers [aged five and 12 years younger] and one sister, Marie-Pierre, who’s 2½ years younger.

I have vivid memories of Mum walking me and my sister to school and then being struck with such pain that she could no longer walk properly and collapsed to the ground. Mum didn’t panic; it’s an image that has stayed with me. That night she was on her feet and cooking again.

I was in charge of picking up a loaf of bread from the bakery 200 metres from home when I was young. I would look in the window and make eye contact with the girl selling the bread. I got a job there when I was 14. The girl ended up giving me a kiss on the cheek; she was older than me.

Novelli (right) with fellow MasterChef Australia judges Andy Allen, Sofia Levin (second left) and Poh Ling Yeow.Credit:

I was 10 years old when a girl I liked told me we couldn’t be together because I wanted to become a chef. She was lovely but said she wanted to be with a real man with a real job!

As a teenager, I was in love with singer Donna Summer. She was my first crush and I would kiss the poster of her every morning when I woke up. I also adored Italian actress Sophia Loren.

I have always believed in marriage; I am a very loyal person and look up to my parents, who have been married for more than 60 years. When I am with someone, I am all in and will die for that person. That’s my motto on how to live my life every single day.

I have been married in the past; divorce isn’t wrong, it’s merely a recipe that went wrong. It pained me when it didn’t work out for me. I have a daughter, Christina, with my first wife, Tina. Christina is 38 and works as a DJ and songwriter.

Christina is someone I can sit up with and talk to until 3am. When she was younger, she would stay with me every other week [after Novelli and Tina got divorced]. I promised Christina I wouldn’t have another kid until she was 18. I didn’t want her to worry that I would have other kids and not focus on her. Maybe it was selfish on my part, but that impacted other relationships as a result.

I met my wife, Michelle Kennedy, at [London’s] Luton Airport. She was working in marketing and I immediately had the feeling we could go further after seeing her. We had a deep conversation that day. I knew we would be together. A week after we met, she moved in with me. I have taught her how to shoot, and to drive a car; the first time she drove my car she crashed it into the front gate.

Michelle is an artist and taught me how to paint. We haven’t cooked together; it took me five years to realise she can’t!

Michelle and I have three sons: Jean [born in 2008], Jacques [born in 2012] and Valentino [born in 2016]. She is a very strong character. We enjoy each other’s company. We don’t need other people around us. I am away for work a lot, and she manages to run the household and be there for everyone. She is amazing.

MasterChef Australia is screening now on Ten.

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