MasterChef Australia’s Julie Goodwin reveals harrowing moment that saved her life

Beloved TV chef Julie Goodwin has bravely told of the harrowing day she was saved from disaster by strangers.

MasterChef winner Julie Goodwin has bravely revealed the harrowing moment she thought about ending her life and how she was saved by strangers.

The beloved TV chef opened up about a distressing chapter of her life during an interview on The Project on Sunday.

Goodwin has penned a memoir titled Your Time Starts Now, which reveals her childhood secret of being sexually abused as a seven-year-old, and how she attempted suicide as a teenager when the long-buried memory resurfaced.

Julie Goodwin won the hearts of MasterChef fans when she took out the 2009 title.

The 53-year-old, who won MasterChef in 2009, told TV host Hamish Macdonald how she battled suicidal thoughts just a few years ago.

She tearfully recounted a painful moment when she was about to go for a swim, uncertain if she would return.

Goodwin described how a pair of shoes her young son had bought for her served as a reminder of the immense pain her loved ones would endure.

“I just couldn’t get my head around around what to do with this pair of shoes and what would be the least painful thing for me to do with these shoes,” she recalled.

A young couple passing by Goodwin paused and sat with the star, helping her recognise the urgency of seeking professional help.

The beloved TV chef has revealed her personal struggles.

Goodwin told The Project she then checked into a mental health facility for five weeks in February 2020.

“It took me quite a while and quite a bit of calming down to realise that actually everyone in there is just the same as me, just ordinary people struggling with different things,” she said.

“I learned a lot about just humanity,” she said.

Goodwin said her husband Mick had helped her recover, giving her the love and support she needed.

“I am so much better, I have changed my whole life to be better,” Goodwin said.

Goodwin last week revealed how the devastating memory of being sexually abused resurfaced at the age of 16.

“Nothing triggered it, it was just like the memory was always there, like a dusty book on a library shelf,” she told The Australian Women’s Weekly.

“And one day I took it down and looked at it and went, ‘Holy crap, how have I not thought about that for nine years?’”

Julie Goodwin has revealed a long-held secret in her new memoir. Picture: MasterChef

Goodwin did not tell anyone about the abuse. She was a model student, becoming school captain and excelling in her studies.

A year later, at 17, she said she attempted suicide.

Goodwin was hospitalised, returning to school a few days after as though nothing had happened.

The suicide attempt profoundly changed her. While she had previously dreamed of becoming a journalist or criminal lawyer, Goodwin lost her drive to succeed.

The popular cook credits her husband, Mick, with providing the love and support she needed.

“I can’t even think about where I would be if I hadn’t had [him] for all these years,” she told the publication. “Because it wouldn’t be good.”

Julie Goodwin during filming for MasterChef Australia.

In 1995, after welcoming her first son Joe – she and Mick would go on to have two more sons – she suffered from depression and turned to alcohol to ease the pain.

“It let go of me sometimes and I could carry on and do all the things that I needed to do,” she said.

After winning the first season of MasterChef in 2009, Goodwin’s career went from strength to strength as she became a best-selling cookbook author and beloved media personality.

No-one could have guessed that she was actually suffering from depression, anxiety and alcoholism.

Goodwin’s memoir, Your Time Start Now.

The May 2024 Women’s Weekly Cover.

During lockdown in 2020, suicidal thoughts began to rear its head once more, and Goodwin was admitted to a psychiatric ward.

Fans have praised her for openly speaking about this period of her life and shedding the stigma of mental illness.

“I am living my second life,” she told The Weekly. “I am lucky to be here.”

Goodwin’s book Your Time Starts Now goes on sale April 23, and the May edition of the Australian Women’s Weekly is out now.

Originally published as MasterChef Australia’s Julie Goodwin reveals harrowing moment that saved her life