'Looks so different': MasterChef Australia fan favourite Julie Goodwin shocks fans with dramatic new slimmed-down physique
Beloved MasterChef Australia winner Julie Goodwin has surprised fans with a fresh new look, debuting a dramatically slimmed-down appearance in a recent social media video.
The 54-year-old chef, who won the very first season of the hit cooking show back in 2009, took to TikTok on Tuesday to promote her upcoming appearance at the Moreton Bay Food + Wine Festival.
Filmed casually in her garden, Goodwin wore a bright pink jumper paired with dangly pink floral earrings and bold red-rimmed circular glasses, beaming as she shared her excitement for the event.
"Hey fellow food lovers, Julie Goodwin here, and I'd like to invite you to join me at the kitchen presented by Ausbuild this August at the Moreton Bay Food and Wine Festival," she told fans.
"I'll be taking to the stage to share my passion for simple, soulful food that gets you and your family and friends together around the table together."
She added that she'd be doing demonstrations "across the whole festival along with a whole array of fantastic demonstrators".
"I can't wait to meet you, chat with you, do some demonstrations, share some tips and have a great time."
But while many were excited to hear about her upcoming appearance, it was Goodwin's striking transformation that really caught fans' attention.
"What happened to Julie? I don't recognise her," one user wrote, while another added: "Omg you look so different!"
A third fan commented: "I've just seen this post and wowsers, I was shocked!" while another asked if Julie could share her weight loss tips.
"Omg! Julie! I barely recognised you! Loved you when I first saw you on MasterChef and love you now! All the best for demos. Would you mind sharing how you've slimmed down?" they asked.
While most users agreed the MasterChef star looked "happy and healthy", the video also attracted negative remarks, some of which had to be deleted by festival organisers.
"Unfortunately, there have been some negative ones that we have had to remove," organisers responded after a fan asked: "Where are all the missing comments?"
Several users chimed in to say it was "inappropriate" to comment on someone's weight at all.
Since her rise to fame on MasterChef, Goodwin has become a fixture in Australian households, building a successful career as a cookbook author, Australian Women's Weekly columnist and TV personality.
Based on the NSW Central Coast, she's returned to the MasterChef kitchen twice, once for All Stars in 2012, and again as a contestant in 2022.
She also opened her own cooking school, Julie's Place, and co-hosted the Central Coast radio show Rabbit and Julie Goodwin on Star 104.5 from 2015 until 2019.
But behind the scenes, Goodwin faced serious personal struggles, including a drink driving offence in 2018 and an attempt on her life in 2020.
After receiving care at a mental health facility, she courageously shared her journey with fans in an open letter, and has continued to speak out to raise awareness and support for others.
In 2024, she published her memoir Your Time Starts Now, chronicling her path to recovery.
She also returned to television as a contestant on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, Dancing with the Stars, a guest judge on My Kitchen Rules, and even joined Sunrise earlier this month for a cooking segment with host Matt Shirvington.
Thankfully, she recently revealed to Nine Honey that she's in a good place.
"I'm good, I really am," she said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News AU
2 hours ago
- Sky News AU
'Different person': MasterChef Australia star Julie Goodwin, 54, shocks fans with dramatically slimmed-down transformation in new social media video
Julie Goodwin has stunned fans with her slimmer-than-ever appearance in a new video. The 2009 MasterChef Australia winner, now 54, took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a video promoting a chemical-free cleaning brand. In it, the svelte TV star appeared to have lost even more weight after she first shed a whopping 20kg almost a decade ago. Goodwin's natural grey locks peeked through her short dyed tresses, with the hairstyle accentuating her slender face and frame. The cullinary extraordinaire's slender collarbones and arms were visible beneath her black-and-white striped T-shirt. Despite her new appearance, Goodwin kept her signature glasses on, which have become synonymous with the star for more than a decade. Fans flooded the comments after failing to recognise the star cook due to her new look. "Wow, you look like a different person," one person said. "Julie, I didn't recognise you at all," another person said. Another person said had Goodwin not introduced herself in the clip, they wouldn't have ever guessed it was really her. "Had she not said, 'I am Julie Goodwin', I would not have believed my eyes! You are fabulous, as always!" they said. It comes as the celebrity is rumoured to be replacing Poh Ling Yeow, who was runner-up in Goodwin's MasterChef season, as a judge on the show. Yeow first spun the rumour mill into overdrive earlier this year after she revealed the role doesn't come naturally to her. Instead, the star, who joined judges Andy Allen, Sofia Levin, and Jean-Christophe Novell in 2024, reminisced about "being a contestant again". "I constantly run through the challenges that I have just delivered and think about what I would do in that situation," Yeow told the From the Newsroom podcast. "That's how much I miss and love it." Despite Network Ten denying Yeow would be replaced at the end of the 2025 season, an insider last week tipped Goodwin to take her place. "Julie would be a fantastic judge. Fans love her," the source told New Idea. "While no one wants to see Poh leave, everyone would welcome Julie back with open arms." The celebrity cook herself said she "absolutely loved" guest judging the cooking competition in 2023, leaving many to believe Yeow's time was up. After her rise to fame on MasterChef, Goodwin became a household name in Australia and is adored by many for her happy-go-lucky personality. She went on to build a successful career as a cookbook author, Australian Women's Weekly columnist, and TV personality. However, in her personal life, Goodwin has faced serious struggles while grappling with her fame. She recorded a drink driving offence in 2018 and made an attempt on her life in 2020. Opening up about the dark time on the Head Game podcast in March, Goodwin said she went "right down to the bottom of the well". "I had made a decision that everybody, everybody, my colleagues, my children, my husband, my family, everybody would be better off if I just racked off and let them all be," Goodwin said on the Head Game podcast in March. The chef recently revealed she's now in a much better place. "I'm good, I really am," she told Nine Honey.
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
Pop superstar Katy Perry spotted in local designer ‘onesie'
It is not uncommon to spot a onesie-wearing Australian in the colder months down under but an American superstar has joined in the trend while on tour. Snapped at Luna Park in Sydney, pop superstar Katy Perry was seen in an Aussie designer's fluffy offering looking calm, collected and super comfy. The showbiz queen clearly has good taste as the onesie was from none other than Australian sleepwear king Peter Alexander's collection. So chuffed was the designer he shared the pic on his official Instagram account. There's a bear in there… And it's Katy Perry! Credit: MEDIA-MODE / JaydenSeyfarth/ While a large portion of Australians go to bed wrapped in Alexander's sleepwear, it is nice to know he has an international following too. The fluffy bear onesie appears to be a popular choice and is sold out online with some children's sizes available. The adorable snap also captured Perry holding the hand of her daughter, Daisy Dove Bloom, whose father is Hollywood superstar Orlando Bloom — Perry's partner since 2016. Days after the Californian diva had a security scare when an audience member charged the stage at her sold-out Qudos Bank Arena show in Sydney, news has surfaced that the A-list couple's relationship may be on the rocks. The couple are contending with rumours of a potential split following Daily Mail reports Perry was spotted without her wedding ring on the tour and following tensions created around the flop of her 2024 album 143. 'Orlando and I, when we argue, we argue kinda hot and fast and then cool really quickly. It's like, 'La la la la la, I love you. Alright, let's move on,'' the pop superstar previously said in 2024. She also mentioned the impact that their domestic blow-ups had on their four-year-old daughter Daisy. 'We are fire, fire, fire, and so [Daisy] sees all of that,' Ms Perry said. 'He's a real sage. We both have parts of ourselves. There's two parts of us, our highest good, and then our carnal, material self. Ego. When the ego is running the show, then it's like, 'Whoa.' But when that's in check, then we're both something else.'' Mr Bloom, who is in New York for the Tribeca Film Festival, has spoken previously about the challenging moments in their partnership. 'Sometimes things are really, really, really, challenging. I won't lie. We definitely battle with our emotions and creativity.' Perry is currently in Melbourne before her tour heads to Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
Herald Sun
2 hours ago
- Herald Sun
Channel 7's Abbey Holmes welcomes first baby, shares brutal birth ordeal
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News. Channel 7 AFL presenter Abbey Holmes and her husband Keegan Brooksby have welcomed their first baby together, a son named Braxton. The pair shared the news on Instagram, revealing that the birth did not go exactly according to plan. 'Mummy laboured all day on Friday, only for me to be born via c section at 5:49pm on 6/6 weighing 3.585kg's,' the caption read. 'My head was faaaar too large so we had to change our plans late in the piece!' The couple's well-known friends were quick to offer celebratory messages under the birth announcement. 'Cool dude joining a cool crew,' wrote Australian comedian Dave Hughes. 'Congrats,' wrote radio presenter and AFL great Brendan Fevola. Josh Daicos' partner Annaliese Dalins commented: 'Adorable — congratulations sweetheart xx sending you and your beautiful family lots of love.' Seven News' chief sports presenter Rebecca Maddern posted: 'Oh Abbey I've been waiting for this news! He's just perfect! Enjoy the love bubble - rest up.' Sunrise weatherman Sam Mac added: 'Glorious!!! So happy for you guys.' The Instagram post shows photos of the newborn in a blue onesie and beanie, next to a toy bunny with the words, 'my first bunny.' The post also shows a smiling selfie of the new parents carrying their newborn. The former AFWL star turned Channel 7 announced her pregnancy in January, saying her and her husband Keegan Brooksby were 'on cloud nine'. 'Keegan and I have shared a very busy year, but 2025 is set to be our biggest and best yet. We could not be happier to welcome our first child into the world, later this year,' Holmes told The Herald Sun. Holmes made the discovery she was pregnant after incredibly running the New York Marathon in November, with the news coming as a total surprise. 'We are so excited and grateful to be in this position, as we know how difficult it can be for so many people. We're on cloud nine and can't wait for this next chapter.' 'We discovered that I was pregnant a few weeks after returning home from running the New York Marathon,' Holmes continued. 'As you can imagine, it was a bit of a shock given what I had just put my body through, but I'm in awe of what the human body can do. 'Keegan and I told our families at Christmas, which was a really special time for us all. We wanted to share our news with as many people as possible in person, so we've spent the last few weeks doing that. There were plenty of tears, that's for sure. 'I've been lucky enough to enjoy a beautiful start to my pregnancy, and we're soaking up every moment.' The 33-year-old was an inaugural member of the Adelaide Crows' AFLW team and since hanging up the boots, has been a key part of Seven's AFL and AFLW commentary team. As well as being a beloved commentator, Holmes has also appeared on reality TV shows Survivor and SAS Australia. Her partner, Brooksby, is also a former AFL player. He joined Gold Coast via the 2015 rookie draft and played 14 games in his three seasons at the club. He spent one year at West Coast in 2019, where he didn't manage to make an appearance, before playing one more AFL game at Hawthorn. The couple have been together since 2017 after matching on a dating app. Brooksby popped the question in Uluru in 2020 before the pair tied the knot in 2023. Originally published as Channel 7's Abbey Holmes welcomes first baby, shares brutal birth ordeal
