Melissa Leong

Last updated

Melissa Leong
Born1982 (age 4243)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Occupations
  • Food writer
  • food critic
  • television presenter
  • cookbook editor
  • radio broadcaster
  • marketer
Television
Spouse
Joe Jones
(m. 2017;sep. 2020)
[1]

Melissa Leong (born 1982) [2] is an Australian freelance food writer, food critic, television host, radio broadcaster, cookbook editor and marketer. [3] She is currently a judge on Network 10's Dessert Masters alongside Amaury Guichon and was previously a judge on MasterChef Australia from 2020 to 2023, alongside Andy Allen and Jock Zonfrillo.

Contents

Early life

Leong was born in 1982 in Sydney and raised in the suburbs of Sutherland Shire. [4] [5] [6] Her parents emigrated to Australia from Singapore. [7] She has a younger brother. [6] She attended a Baptist high school and was confirmed Anglican. [8] From the age of 13 to her early 20s, Leong studied piano but had to give up on a career in music due to a chronic repetitive strain injury. [8] [6] She completed a degree in economics and social sciences at the University of Sydney. [8]

Career

After graduating, Leong worked as a makeup artist. She later moved into advertising where she managed projects and wrote copy. She then began freelance writing about food. [9]

She co-hosted The Chefs' Line with chefs Dan Hong and Mark Olive for two seasons in 2017, and 2018. [10]

In October 2019, it was announced that Leong would be joining Network 10's cooking competition show MasterChef Australia , as a new judge alongside Jock Zonfrillo and Andy Allen, after former judges Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris left the series when Ten refused to meet the trio's pay rise demands. [11] [12] Leong, Zonfrillo and Allen debuted on episode one of the show's twelfth season, which premiered on 13 April 2020. [13] Later that year, Network 10 announced that a third season of MasterChef spin-off Junior MasterChef Australia, was set to air in October 2020, with Leong appearing as a judge alongside Allen and Zonfrillo. [14] [15]

In November 2020, Leong was named Who's Sexiest Person of 2020 by Who magazine. [5]

In May 2021, it was announced that Leong would appear as a judge in another MasterChef spinoff, the second season of Celebrity MasterChef Australia alongside Allen and Zonfrillo. [16] [17]

In late 2022, Leong was announced as a judge on the all new MasterChef spinoff series, titled Dessert Masters. She judged and co-hosted the show alongside international pastry chef Amaury Guichon. [18] [19] Network 10 announced in their 2023 upfronts that the series was to be aired in the second half of 2023, after the fifteenth season of MasterChef Australia finishes. [20] In October 2023, it was announced that Leong would not be returning as a host of MasterChef Australia. [21]

In 2025, Leong competed in the third edition of the reality competition show The Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition , finishing in sixth place. [22] In September 2025, Leong published her memoir, titled Guts. [6]

Personal life

Leong married Joe Jones in 2017. In December 2020, she announced the two had separated. [1] Leong has had depression and anxiety throughout her life and has an autoimmune condition which has caused chronic insomnia and hair loss. [23] In 2025, Leong publicly revealed that she had been raped when she was working in the hospitality industry in her 20s. [6]

References

  1. 1 2 Bode, Lucy (21 December 2020). "MasterChef star Melissa Leong's shock walk-out". Who. Archived from the original on 21 December 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  2. "A life in travel: MasterChef Australia judge Melissa Leong". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  3. Watson, Meg (13 May 2020). "Melissa Leong on MasterChef, diversity and tabloids: 'I will never, ever let this stuff shake me'". The Guardian . Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  4. "MasterChef Australia judge Melissa Leong on her life in travel". The New Zealand Herald . 9 July 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  5. 1 2 Cartwright, Lexie (5 November 2020). "MasterChef's Melissa Leong named sexiest person of 2020". News.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 December 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Singer, Melissa (29 September 2025). "'I was so ashamed': Melissa Leong's darkest chapter, and why she can't stay silent". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  7. Lallo, Michael. "'No point in sanitising your past': Melissa Leong praised by viewers". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 Law, Benjamin (4 June 2021). "MasterChef's Melissa Leong: 'I've had the most piecemeal career ever'". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  9. Wight, Isabella (30 May 2023). "'MasterChef' judge Melissa Leong on the value of saying yes". Fashion Journal. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  10. "The Chefs' Line | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. 3 April 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  11. Bucklow, Andrew (10 October 2019). "MasterChef Australia: New judges announced". News.com.au. news.com.au. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  12. "MasterChef Australia New Judges Announced". News.com.au.
  13. The Wait Is Over. MasterChef Australia. Back To Win. , retrieved 1 August 2023
  14. "Jock, Melissa, Andy back to judge on Junior MasterChef | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. 23 July 2020. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  15. "Junior MasterChef makes its debut next month". The Herald Sun.
  16. Perry, Kevin (24 May 2021). "Channel 10 confirms CELEBRITY MASTERCHEF AUSTRALIA is coming". TV Blackbox. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  17. Wilson, Zanda (24 May 2021). "Ten revives Celebrity MasterChef after more than a decade". Mumbrella. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  18. Vrajlal, Alicia. "Everything We Know About MasterChef: Dessert Masters". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  19. Haddad, Kailah (2 March 2023). ""MasterChef Australia"'s Sweetest Season Yet: Meet the Judges of Dessert Masters". POPSUGAR Australia. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  20. "MasterChef: Dessert Masters Is Set For Sweet Success". 10 play. 6 October 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  21. Quinn, Karl (23 October 2023). "'Great gift': Melissa Leong responds to being dumped from MasterChef". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  22. "Melissa Leong steps out of her comfort zone on The Amazing Race". Newcastle Herald. 1 September 2025. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  23. Watson, Meg (13 May 2020). "Melissa Leong on MasterChef, diversity and tabloids: 'I will never, ever let this stuff shake me'". The Guardian . Retrieved 15 May 2020.