It’s official. Following last week’s epic showdown, Sonya and Hadil will not return to My Kitchen Rules.
The on-screen bullying saw the best friends asked to leave the table on Wednesday and it was later confirmed that the pair was out for good.
Now, one half of the booted team has come forward with an explanation as to why she fired up during the fateful dinner party.
In a heartfelt social media post, Sonya pins her actions on her childhood bullying hell but admits she didn’t handle the situation well.
“Growing up, I was bullied for my race and my weight,” she says.
“One memory in particular which I’ll never forget was having the contents of my school bag tipped into a bin because of my background.”
Sonya and Hadil became the first team in MKR history to be kicked out of the competition.
Sonya adds that during her time filming, she was sworn at and called names riddled with expletives.
“Those words really struck a chord with me and really hurt, which clearly showed,” she admits.
“It’s been hard to apologise for that reason.”
But the 34-year-old asks viewers to remember her actions during filming do not reflect her true personality. She explains how easy it is to get caught up in a production “bubble” and how the competition took a toll on every team.
“I am personally truly sorry,” Sonya declares.
“I have respect for all the teams in the competition. The long hours of filming, practicing and writing out recipes aren’t easy.
“We all experience the MKR bubble together and emotions are said, reactions are given and in this instance, that was all that was shown – our reactions.”
But the pair have since apologised for the behaviour on the show.
And despite her on-screen actions, Sonya implores the audience to keep their hurtful words to themselves.
“I hope people can be more sensitive to the mental impact that this has had on us, our fellow contestants and our families…constant bullying is not OK,” she adds.
Meanwhile, in a separate statement, both Sonya and teammate Hadil take full responsibility for their on-set behaviour.
“There is more to the ‘scandal’ than meets the eye, however we take full responsibility for the words that came out of our mouths and we are sincerely sorry,” their message reads.
“Like any reality TV show, no one but the people on-set filming 10-14 hour days know exactly what goes on behind the tears, the tension, the smiles, the reactions and the words exchanged.”
The pair also apologise to the fans for dinner “which should have never gone to air”, adding “we wish the remaining teams in the competition the best of luck.”
