Meghan Markle ally sets record straight after ‘MasterChef meltdown’ backlash

Meghan Markle calls Harry ‘a charmer’ during TV appearance

Meghan Markle’s TV appearance on MasterChef Australia sparked backlash after reports mentioned an alleged “meltdown” on set, but now one of the judges has set the record straight on what actually happened. The Duchess of Sussex appeared as a guest judge on the 18th season of the cooking show last month, when contestants were challenged to transform a staple ingredient into a dish “fit for a duchess”.

She appeared alongside MasterChef Australia judges Poh Ling Yeow, Sofia Levin and Jean-Christophe Novelli and the episode was filmed back in April when the Sussexes visited Australia. Some reports claimed the Duchess was involved in a tense moment with Ms Yeow after she was announced as “royalty” at the beginning of the episode. Meanwhile, another report by celebrity journalist Rob Shuter claimed that production insiders said Meghan’s appearance left the cast and crew “exhausted”.

Meghan Markle made a new TV appearance (Image: PA)

They described the duchess as “one of the most demanding celebrity guests the long-running series has ever hosted”.

But now Ms Yeow has given a new interview and dismissed those claims as “ridiculous”.

Speaking to a Perth radio programme, she said: “If I had a buck for every time I’ve been asked about Meghan, I’d be a billionaire.”

She added about her time with Meghan on set: “We had such a lovely time with her. She was a model citizen, honestly.

“Just no fuss, she actually hung out with us judges and didn’t scurry away into her green room.

“She was completely engaged with the whole process, and she really knows her food. There was nothing to complain about at all.”

Meghan Markle appeared on MasterChef Australia (Image: Channel 10)

Regarding the negative reports about the duchess’s behaviour, the food judge simply said: “It’s ridiculous.”

“It’s the first time anything like that has happened to me. So it’s been very eye-opening to me to see what Meghan cops everyday, and it’s really full on.”

Last month, sources close to the Duchess dismissed the claims and said they are “false,” telling the Daily Express that Meghan had an “incredible” time with all those involved, including the judges, contestants and crew. They stressed that there were “no issues”.

They also further dismissed the latest reports, saying that “everything was so positive”.

It is understood that Network 10 has been pleased with Meghan’s appearance, which made the episode reach a total of 1.6million Total TV viewers.

Meghan Markle was a guest judge (Image: Channel 10)

It broke the record for the biggest overnight Sunday audience since July 2023 and the biggest-ever overnight streaming audience, at 118,000 viewers, according to figures released by broadcaster Network 10.

It also topped the seven-day Total Viewing audience with 1.22million national viewers.

Total TV is a special metric used in Australia to measure viewing across screens and combines traditional linear broadcast television with digital broadcast video-on-demand (BVOD) viewing.