Melissa Leong addresses ‘confusion and chaos’ around MasterChef exit  following reports she was ‘axed’

Melissa Leong has addressed the ‘negativity’ surrounding her departure from MasterChef Australia.

Her departure from the cooking show was announced on Monday – just a day before Channel Ten is set to unveil its 2024 programming during its Upfronts presentation.

Leong will remain part of the Ten family and will host Dessert Masters, a spin-off series from MasterChef, alongside Swiss-French pastry prodigy Amaury Guichon.

On Tuesday, the 40-year-old shared a lengthy caption on Instagram in which she insisted she was happy with the direction her career is taking.

“I want to express my gratitude for the overwhelming support this past day as I share the news that I am shifting gears and making room in my life for a wonderful new chapter,” she wrote.

“I understand there will be some confusion and chaos at this point as to the ‘why’ of all of this,” Melissa continued.

“I’m here and I’d like to clear that up because negative tropes around women achieving are boring, and honestly, we’re all better than that.

“This is a change I embrace with joy. One that allows everyone involved to expand. To put it plainly, I am fortunate to be able to remain an important part of @masterchefau, while still having the space to develop my career.

“Actually, I get to have my cake and eat it too… and what could be better than that?!” she concluded.

Melissa previously claimed she left the show “on my terms” after a “magical” four-year tenure.

The upcoming season will see the introduction of three new judges: series alum Poh Ling Yeow, Michelin-star chef Jean-Christophe Novelli and food critic Sofia Levin.

The trio of newcomers will be joined by returning host Andy Allen.

A network spokesperson told the newspaper Australian Financial Statement Leong’s departure was subject to scheduling and she “remains an important member of the MasterChef family.”

‘Next year, MasterChef Australia and Dessert Masters will be broadcast back-to-back. That’s why every show needs its own style and personality, and its own unique hosting team,” she added.

Leong said on Monday her time on MasterChef Australia had been “truly magical”.

“My time as a co-host and judge on @MasterChefAU has been an amazing gift. It’s huge to have been given the opportunity to learn and grow – and now to be given the confidence to expand and develop the MasterChef universe!’ she wrote on Instagram.

“Stepping away from the main show and entering #DessertMastersAU alongside the extraordinary @AmauryGuichon is another sweet gift indeed.

“It is with great warmth and enthusiasm that I wish this new line-up of judges and presenters all the very best to make it their success, and big love to @andyallencooks for leading the way,” she continued.

“The changing of the guard is one that I always intended to embrace, and I’m so happy to be able to do so today, on my terms.

‘Along with all that joy, I also want to share with you (soon) some other projects I’ve been working on behind the scenes, so watch this space!

I want to thank our audience for all your support. I can’t wait for you to see the new show. Love and respect always’.

Meanwhile, Allen revealed that his decision to return to MasterChef following the death of his co-star Jock Zonfrillo was not an easy one.

“After an extremely difficult year in 2023, and upon reflection, the decision to return to the series is not something I have taken lightly,” he said The Daily Telegraph.

“But there’s something special in the kitchen of MasterChef Australia, and it feels good to get back to work with the amazing production team and play my part in seeing the contestants do what I’ve been doing.

“2024 will be the beginning of a new chapter, and it will be surreal – yet brilliant – to share this moment with my fellow judges, Poh, Sofia and Jean-Christophe.”

Ling Yeow said returning as a judge on the show that made her a household name was “an exciting full-circle moment.”

“MasterChef Australia is where my food story began, so this feels like coming home,” she said.

“A big part of me will always be on the other side between the competitors and I hope that when they look at me, they see proof that you don’t have to win to win.”

Ling Yeow is a fan favorite in the MasterChef family.

She was runner-up in the cooking competition’s first season in 2009 and returned in 2020 for the Back to Win season, where she placed sixth.

The chef has also made guest appearances on the program over the years.

Leong and Allen joined MasterChef in late 2019, after former judges Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris left the show over a pay dispute.

Leong emerged as a bona fide networking star and a brand in her own right, with lucrative partnerships with Visit Victoria, QT Hotels and Perrier-Jouet champagne.

Casting discussions began after Zonfrillo’s tragic death earlier this year.

A source described it as a “dreary process” with everyone involved still mourning the enigmatic Scottish chef who joined the cast alongside Leong and Allen in 2019.

Zonfrillo died in his hotel room at Zagame’s House on Lygon Street in Carlton and was found by police at around 2am on Monday, May 1 – the same day Channel Ten was due to premiere the fifteenth season of MasterChef Australia.

Police responded to a welfare check after concerns raised by his wife, Lauren Fried, who was in Italy with their son and daughter at the time.

Zonfrillo is survived by his third wife, Lauren, and his four children: adult daughters Ava and Sophia, from his first two marriages, and six-year-old Alfie and two-year-old Isla, with Fried.

Newcomer Jean-Christophe Novelli, 62, is no stranger to television cooking shows.

The French celebrity chef has appeared alongside Gordon Ramsay in Chef Academy, Culinary Genius and Hell’s Kitchen.

Melbourne-based food critic Sofia Levin is also a famous face, recently starring in The Cook Up with another MasterChef star, Adam Liaw.