Matt Preston is one of Australia’s most famous TV personalities, with the food writer now gracing our screens on Seven’s new cooking show Plate of Origin, alongside fellow hosts Gary Mehigan and Manu Feildel.
WATCH: See the trailer for Seven’s new answer to MasterChef
But despite being a hugely popular household name, the former MasterChef host likes to keep his family life out of the spotlight.
Matt’s wife of 21 years, Emma Preston, and the couple’s three children, Jonathan, William, and Sadie, rarely feature on his popular Instagram account or at high profile media events, instead choosing to live a private life away from the cameras.
When in public and out and about, it’s common for fans to come up and chat or ask for a photo, often interrupting his precious one-on-one time with his wife and kids.
But Matt’s time with his family is sacred, so he tries to avoid “problematic encounters that might impact that”.
“Mostly it’s about saying the weekends are sacrosanct and that’s family time,” he told TV WEEK in 2017.
Matt and Emma’s love story has an interesting beginning. The British food critic met his wife when he first moved to Australia from London in 1993 with his former partner, who is actually one of Emma’s closest friends.
The pair got to know each other as friends first, before Matt split with his ex and their connection deepened into something more.
“I thought he was probably gay,” Emma dryly told The Australian Women’s Weekly in 2009 of her first impression of the 59-year-old.
“I used to pour out my heart to him about being single,” she said.
Added Matt: “And I used to sit there listening to this thinking, ‘That’s amazing. She’s such an incredible, beautiful woman’.”
But Emma says she soon realised that Matt was indeed very straight.
“Then I met his English friends, who are all married and they were the same – they all love their clothes and are pedantic and fussy about their food,” she explained.
“But Matt is probably more feminine than most blokes. Not many men will go out and pick flowers for the spare bedroom if guests are coming to stay. But Matt loves women and women love Matt. All Mum’s friends, all my friends, just adore him.”
“And I love female company,” Matt added.
“Nothing makes me happier than having a long discussion with women about shoes and dating.”
After his time on MasterChef ended as part of the show’s popular judge trio, alongside George Calombaris and Gary Mehigan, Matt signed on with rival network Channel Seven as co-host of Plate of Origin with Gary and former MKR judge Manu.
With MKR axed by Seven earlier this year, there was an opening in the mix for a new reality cooking show, and thus Plate of Origin was born.
The show will feature several teams or “countries” fighting against each other in the “World Cup of cooking”, for a chance to nab the winner’s title and $100,000 in prize money.
Matt is currently in lockdown in Melbourne with his family, but he has kept his followers entertained (and well-fed) with his new Instagram account Lockdown Kitchen.
Matt has recruited many of his high profile chef and foodie friends, including Maggie Beer and Julie Goodwin, into sharing delicious home cooking recipes that are easy enough to whip up in your kitchen at home.
For all the details, visit @lockdownkitchen.com.au.
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