MasterChef Australia contestant and mental health advocate Brent Draper is expecting his second child with wife Shonleigh.
“We’re due in November,” an excited Brent, 32, tells TV WEEK. “It’s a little master chef in the making.”
Brent’s little bub is due in November.
(Image: Supplied)He says they’re going to wait until their child is born to find out whether it’s a boy or a girl.
“One of the only surprises in life is finding out what gender your baby is,” Brent says. “This one will be a nice little surprise.”
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The former tradie originally appeared on season 13 of MasterChef in 2021, but withdrew citing concerns about his mental health. He’s the first contestant ever to leave voluntarily.
He was previously on MasterChef in 2021.
(Image: Supplied)During season 13, he felt constantly ill, was stressed, couldn’t sleep, and was convinced he had liver disease.
“I went to the doctors four or five times and even went to Emergency,” he reveals. “All the doctors told me, ‘Brent, we’ve tested everything – you’re fine. You just have severe anxiety,’ and I just couldn’t believe it.”
When asked to return for season 15, Brent said “no straight away”, fearing the pressure of the competition would “trigger him back down a dark path” after he’d worked so hard on his recovery.
What motivated him to change his mind was his four-year-old son Alfie and Shonleigh, who always knew he was capable of showing people “you’re not defined by your lowest point” and helping raise awareness around men’s mental health.
“I want to teach Alfie to put yourself out there and get uncomfortable in life, because that’s when you see the best results,” Brent says. “I want to lead by example. He’s always on my mind when I’m cooking.”
