Manu Feildel has opened up about his friendship with former My Kitchen Rules co-star Pete Evans and revealed his feelings about working alongside a new celebrity chef next season.
The pair appeared together as judges on the Channel 7 cookery show for 10 years before it was announced in 2020 that the show was ‘taking a break’ amid dismal ratings for its eleventh season.
It was also announced around the same time that Channel 7 and Pete Evans had ‘parted ways’, following a series of controversial comments and social media posts from the TV personality.
This Sunday, My cooking rules will eventually return with Feildel, 48, back in the judges’ seat, but this time he’s joined by popular British chef Nigella Lawson.
Speaking on the news.com.au podcast I have news for youFeildel was asked if he missed Evans while filming the new season.
“Of course Pete and I have known each other for a long time, we’re still good friends today, so yeah, I miss that,” he told host Andrew Bucklow.
“At the same time, you know, it was nice to work with somebody new and somebody different. The show’s been on the shelf for a couple of years, so it was exciting to work with somebody else.”
Evans has been embroiled in controversy in recent years, including in 2020 when the Therapeutic Goods Administration slapped him with $25,000 in fines for magical coronavirus-eradicating properties he claimed about a “BioCharger” device in a promotion live from Facebook.
Evans, a prominent proponent of the paleo diet, has also been condemned for a number of other dubious health claims over the years.
In 2021, the outspoken anti-vaxxer was even kicked off Instagram after sharing misinformation and dangerous claims about Covid-19, just months after being banned from Facebook for the same reason.
Meanwhile, during MSEKDuring the break, Feildel appeared in the short-lived Seven cooking series Plate of Originbefore it was announced its original show would return in 2022.
Ahead of this week’s premiere, the French TV star revealed as much IGNFY a surprising fact about his famous new co-star.
“(Nigella) can’t use chopsticks,” Feildel said.
“I remember sitting at the table. We had just put chopsticks next to the plate and she turned to me and whispered in my ear, ‘I don’t know how to use chopsticks.’ And I thought that was funny!”
My cooking rules returns to Set on Sunday at 7pm.