How Khanh Ong got dumped ... and then got ripped

Khanh Ong was catapulted into a food career after appearing on the hit cooking show. He has since built a social media empire, become best friends with The Bachelor, and after an epic health transformation is in the best shape of his life.

Khanh Ong. Picture: Rebecca Michael

Most Australians were introduced to you by MasterChef, but before that you’d had a career in both music and fashion. Which is your true love? Food. Without a doubt. I travel a lot for work and no matter where I am, I crave coming home, standing behind my kitchen counter, turning on a camera and cooking. I have a creative approach to life, but ultimately I do what I want to make me happy – that’s a privilege, but it’s something I live by.

You mention “the camera”. More than a million people follow you on social media, where you share hundreds of recipes and catalogue your life. What’s it like to share so much of yourself online? The benefit of showing so much is I actually connect with the followers, and that makes them trust in the recipes. Right now they’re watching me make a lot of healthier foods, but they are also watching me train every single day. They know I’m not just doing it because it’s trending.

What inspired this health kick, which has landed you on the cover of Men’s Health magazine (looking very buff) this month... Um, I got dumped! I don’t think I’ve told anybody that before!

Ripped: the Men’s Health cover

Is this your revenge body then?No, no, look, there were multiple things. I was starting to get healthier on my own, but then I did go through a bad breakup, and I was in Europe when things were really bad. On my way home I called a friend who runs a health retreat in Bali. I went there for five days and it completely changed the way I thought about health. I realised my relationship with food wasn’t as healthy as I thought it was.

What was so unhealthy about it? I love food so much that I constantly want to eat – I’m an overeater. And I realised portion sizes matter; what you put in your body, how you fuel yourself, matters. But healthy food doesn’t mean not-tasty food. Flavour is still at the forefront of everything I do.

How hard do you work to make things look easy in front of the camera? Honestly, I’m an introvert but I think years of reality TV have taught me how to just go along with things and just do it. I’ve done MasterChef,Survivor,I’m A Celebrity ... there are no plans to do any more, but I do think they’re the best ones, don’t you?

I definitely think they’re the hardest ones. They require you to push yourself, and that’s what I like to do in life. All three put me out of my comfort zone. MasterChef changed my entire life. Without it I wouldn’t be, you know, designing menus for American Express airport lounges, or creating a gelato for the F1 in Melbourne, or travelling the world.

Why did you never pursue a career in a restaurant kitchen? I would not have thrived in a restaurant kitchen environment, doing the same thing every single day, because honestly, I am so chaotic. I don’t crave routine at all.

Are you conscious of being a role model to young people? I’ve become a lot more aware of it in the past few years, because I know parents watch and cook my recipes with their children. I just try to be myself. When I was young I never saw someone like me on TV. I think more these days about the company I keep. My best friend is astrophysicist Matt Agnew. He’s a prime example of a role model. He’s a straight man – he was literally The Bachelor! – and I’m a gay man. Nobody understands our relationship, but he’s super proud of it. I want to keep people like him around.

What do you reckon is the most underrated ingredient? Cabbage. If you char a piece of cabbage and put some salt and some lime or lemon on it, you’re gonna have a great time.

What would your last meal be? (Laughs) It wouldn’t be healthy! Fried chicken, mashed potatoes … with some caviar on top.

Khanh Ong is an American Express ambassador