MasterChef’s Melissa Leong says it’s a ‘great privilege’ to be the first female judge

She’s a judge on MasterChef Australia alongside Andy Allen and Jock Zonfrillo.

And on Sunday, fan favourite Melissa Leong said it’s a ‘great privilege’ to have been the first female judge on the cooking show.

In an interview with News Corp Australia, the 38-year-old chef said: ‘I think if you’re going to be the first female judge ever, then wear it with pride, [and] wear it with confidence.’

‘It’s a great privilege to be taking this role, for sure,’ she continued.

Melissa also praised the cooking show for its diversity and said it represents ‘modern Australia in the kitchen’.

She said: ‘MasterChef has always been an incredibly diverse place, when it comes to casting contestants, we have seen so many faces that represent modern Australia in that kitchen.

The celebrity chef also said ‘it’s a great honour to be on the judging panel and be a person of colour because I represent myself, then I represent people who haven’t seen their faces held in high regard.’

Melissa and co-stars Andy Allen and Jock Zonfrillo replaced veteran judges George Calombaris, Gary Mehigan and Matt Preston on MasterChef in April.

The former trio had previously hosted MasterChef for 11 years before being dumped by Channel 10 in July 2019 after reports of a pay dispute.

Last month, Melissa told The Weekend Australian she’s ‘very humbled’ by the show’s success.

According to the publication, the average live-to-air and catch-up audience is 1,105,000 viewers – representing a 45 per cent increase to last year.

The food writer and TV personality of Singaporean heritage said: ‘Ratings aren’t really within our control… (but) it’s a wonderful thing to feel that it has resonated with the viewers in Australia and overseas.’