Hayden Quinn talks about what keeps him fired up, and the kind of girl most likely to win his heart.
He’s easygoing lifeguard who’s very easy on the eye, but when MasterChef’s Hayden Quinn sat down for an exclusive interview with Woman’s Day, this cool customer wanted to set the record straight on a few things – such as those unfair surfie stereotypes and persistent rumours of a romance with contestant Ellie Paxton-Hall. But while there’s a lot of buzz around Hayden, the heart-throb of the MasterChef house, we can’t help noticing he copes with all the pressure in an unusually measured way – and it seems there’s a good reason why.
No doubt his job as a lifeguard – where he makes life-and-death decisions – helps him handle the pressure-cooker that is MasterChef. But the 24-year-old has another trick up his sleeve – he literally thrives on the adrenalin. “I have a really active adrenal gland that fires heaps of adrenalin through my body in a high-pressure situation,” he explains.
“The surges of adrenalin make me feel quite up, and I always feel like I’m happy and having a good time, even in intense situations.” While this over-supply of adrenalin keeps Hayden on a natural high, the down side is that he suffers from severe tremors. “The adrenalin sort of shoots through my body and that’s where the shakes come from,” he says. “The amazing thing is that I’ve got this far in the competition and haven’t chopped a finger off!”
It’s not only the kitchen where Hayden’s unsteady hands could cause problems. In his work as a lifeguard, Hayden is required to perform high-risk rescues. “I’ve been in crazy, high-pressure situations,” says Hayden, who patrols Sydney’s northern beaches. “Cooking is nothing compared to some stuff I’ve done with shaky hands.”
Read more of our exclusive interview with Hayden, where he reveals how he feels about fellow contestant Ellie, in this week’s Woman’s Day, on sale July 18, 2011.
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