Despite MasterChef Australia making him an international icon, Matt Preston remains unfazed by fame.
Recognised by fans in street markets in Bangladesh or at an airport in Italy, Matt, 53, is constantly approached by admirers of the cooking reality show.
Yet, as he tells TV WEEK, when Matt first started the show he thought it would be a “total disaster”.
“Everyone said it would be,” he says.
“They all said, ‘five days a week watching amateur cooks – are you insane? With three fat and ugly judges, don’t be stupid’.”
However the show has been a runaway success, with filming set to get underway on the 10th season later this year.
Despite all the success, Matt says he remains “very boring”.
“Before MasterChef, I spent a lot of time travelling or going to places to eat and write stories,” Matt says, adding with a laugh: “Now I spend a lot of time in the studio in Flemington.”
He, and fellow judges, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris, don’t take their success for granted.
“None of us take the private jet to Aspen for the weekend,” Matt says.
“George lives near me and Gaz lives up the road from me.
“Gaz will be walking the dog and my son will be playing cricket in the middle of the oval. It’s just a normal Australian, everyday life.”
Indeed, when he’s not busy food writing or filming MasterChef Australia, Matt prefers to be at home in Melbourne with his wife Emma and three children.
“I just go to a lot of kids sport and kick the footy, and play tennis,” he says.
“I just enjoy hanging out.”
