Former Masterchef judge Matt Preston recalls the moment he shared a surprising family secret with his children.
The British-born food critic, 62, lifted the lid on his heritage in an interview with Stellar magazine this weekend, explaining that he was born to parents Jennifer and Michael, before being adopted by his mother’s second husband, Antony.
Preston only revealed the identity of his biological father with his own children Jonathan, 23, William, 20, and Sadie, 18, last year after requesting two birth certificates at an airport.
“You’re always looking for the right moment (to reveal the truth) and there was something so completely wrong about that moment,” Preston explained.
‘The fascinating thing is that we always make something big out of it – oh, that’s a surprise, or that’s a big family shock or a scandal – but is it? So many families have stories like this.”
Former Masterchef judge Matt Preston, 62, (pictured) recalls the moment he shared a surprising family secret with his children
It comes after the food critic, who appeared on My Restaurant Rules in 2004 before becoming a household name when MasterChef Australia launched in 2009, admitted he did not handle his sudden fame well.
The influx of attention and special treatment went to his head, the television personality now admits.
“I was like, a hard-working writer and then suddenly you fly into the country and the guys who scan the bags know you and the guy at passport control knows you,” he told Stellar magazine in July.
The British-born food critic lifted the lid on his heritage in an interview with Stellar magazine over the weekend, explaining that he was born to parents Jennifer and Michael before being adopted by his mother’s second husband, Antony .
Preston only revealed the identity of his biological father with his own children Jonathan, 23, William, 20, and Sadie, 18, last year after requesting two birth certificates at an airport
‘I don’t think I handled it very well. I became a bit of an advertising executive, but it was very educational.’
Matt said he was less influenced by the success of MasterChef than his first encounter with My Restaurant Rules, but nevertheless his rise has been rapid.
“I think the other thing that happened is it started so quickly and we had no idea what was going on,” he said.
“Suddenly it’s the number one show in the history of reality television. And next year it will overshadow that.
‘Your friends, the people who know you, that doesn’t change. But the whole world moves one meter to the right.’
Read more in this week’s Stellar Magazine