She is one Australia’s most popular TV personalities, but Melissa Leong is the first to admit that fame has not always sat comfortably with her.
Amid the intense media coverage and interest from the public following the death of her fellow MasterChef Australia judge Jock Zonfrillo earlier this year, Melissa chose to remain private with her feelings despite constant speculation about when she would publicly comment.
Speaking today about Jock’s passing for what she says will be “the first and last time”, Melissa explains why she has decided to navigate her grief this past six months in a way that allows her “to honour what makes sense to me”; defends her right to keep some things private and responds to questions about what she thinks the future of MasterChef Australia will be.
She also provides a glimpse into the new TV gig that will take her out of her culinary comfort zone; fires up about representation of people of colour in Australia ahead of the Voice to Parliament referendum - and reflects on why she will end 2023 a very different woman than when the year began.
For more Melissa Leong, follow her on Instagram at @fooderati or catch her on Dessert Masters, airing this November on 10 and 10 Play. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why Melissa Leong won't grieve the way you want her to

From the title that sets the news agenda every week, Something To Talk About sees Stellar editor-in-chief Sarrah Le Marquand sit down with a diverse range of guests - from household names to news identities and everyday people with a compelling story to share - for exclusive interviews and thought-provoking in-depth conversations.  A new episode of Something To Talk About is published every Saturday evening. 

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Amber Petty was first catapulted into the spotlight in the most unusual of circumstances, by standing alongside her best friend, Mary Donaldson, at her wedding to the Crown Prince of Denmark in 2004. 
Becoming known as the “royal bridesmaid”, Amber Petty has experienced many highs and lows during her career in the radio and media in the 20 years since.
Today, she is using her public platform to speak up about something very difficult - but also very important. And that is a reminder of how the much needed and long overdue national conversation currently taking place in Australia regarding violence against women can inadvertently cause re-traumatization among victim-survivors.
As a victim-survivor of domestic violence within two past relationships, Amber sits down with host Sarrah Le Marquand to not only share her own harrowing story, but to speak up for the many women around the country who may be secretly struggling with trauma of their own. 
Although her public persona may have first come about because of a royal wedding, Amber tells Something To Talk About that she does not believe in fairytales.
If you have experienced or are at risk of family violence, you can call the national counselling service 1800RESPECT.
You can find out more from Amber Petty, including purchase details for her book, via her Instagram handle @missamberpetty.
You can read Amber’s column in Stellar online at Stellarmag.com.au or pick up a copy inside The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (VIC), The Sunday Mail (QLD) and Sunday Mail (SA).
Find more from Stellar via Instagram @stellarmag See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amber Petty: from so-called fairytales to domestic violence and re-traumatisation

It’s been five years since Kate Langbroek and her husband and four children packed up to move to Italy – a decision that to this day has people stopping her in the street to discuss. 
Now firmly entrenched back into the reality of life back in Australia, we decided it was time to sit down with the always entertaining - and always unpredictable - Kate to shamelessly pick her brains for an update on the whole work/life/family ratio in mid 2024. 
Apart from her thoughts on ‘shadow labour’, and the often thankless work performed by many across the country, day in and day out, host Sarrah Le Marquand asks Kate about the “glamour gap” that exists between male and female television presenters when it comes to the VERY large difference in time spent in hair and make-up. 
So, given Kate describes herself as “a lazy dresser” - as she says, even her boots have to have zips as she can’t be bothered doing up laces - would the “glamour gap” be a dealbreaker if she were to be offered the TV job of her dreams?
Kate also chats about her apparent witching powers, and opens up experiencing anxiety for the first time in her life, and how her husband’s response unexpectedly inspired her latest project.
You can hear Kate Langbroek on a new episode of the The Buck Up every Tuesday on the iheartradio app, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Find more from Stellar via Instagram @stellarmag or pick up a copy inside The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (VIC), The Sunday Mail (QLD) and Sunday Mail (SA) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever heard of the glamour gap? Kate Langbroek has some thoughts

Today’s episode of Something To Talk About is released on the eve of Mother’s Day – an occasion that for some, is a day of celebration, yet for others is a reminder of grief and isolation. 
Media personality, author and youth worker Brooke Blurton is one who approaches Mother’s Day with conflicted emotions, having lost her mother when she was just 11. 
Joining host Sarrah Le Marquand for this special episode, Brooke reflects on grief; celebrating the legacies of her mother and her grandmother; taking on the role of matriarch within her family - and how seeing her mum’s life cut short at only 34 has instilled a sense of urgency in her to experience and achieve as much as she can.
She also reveals the family tradition that will see Brooke honour her mother’s memory in a very beautiful way if she has a daughter of her own one day…
Brooke Blurton co-hosts First Things First alongside Matty Mills, which you can listen to here. You can also find more from her via @brooke.blurton on Instagram. 
You can listen to Brooke’s previous episode of Something To Talk About here. 
If you or someone you know needs support, visit beyondblue.org.au
For mother loss support, visit motherlessdaughters.com.au
To see Stellar’s special Mother’s Day cover story featuring Brooke Blurton, Sarah Davidson, Fifi Box and Ellie Gonsalves head to @stellarmag or pick up a copy inside The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (VIC), The Sunday Mail (QLD) and Sunday Mail (SA) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brooke Blurton on Mother’s Day as a motherless daughter

Em Rusciano has never been one to hold back, but despite having built a career on being refreshingly honest, her decision to go public at a National Press Club address about being diagnosed with ADHD at age 42, and autism a year later, took her into completely unchartered territory. 
Now, three years on from her diagnoses, Em is embarking on her most personal project yet, a new podcast series she describes as a “love letter to the neurodivergent community and a roadmap for neurotypical people.” 
As you’d expect from a conversation with Em Rusciano, today’s episode covers a lot of ground - and veers from the emotional to the insightful to the hilarious - as Em speaks to host Sarrah Le Marquand to take us inside the past few years of her life, a volatile time she describes as “scorched earth”.
She gives a very-real-and-very-sweet glimpse inside her family life as the mother of three neurodivergent children, reveals whether we will ever see her run for politics, and explains how menopause will be making its presence felt when she takes to the stage for a national comedy tour later this year. 
She also has the perfect answer for those who question if the increasing diagnosis in ADHD among adult women is simply just a “fad”. And she opens up about how being publicly accused of faking her autism diagnosis last year was her worst fear and sent her to ground - only to see her come back with a stronger sense of purpose than ever before. 
You can watch Em Rusciano’s National Press Club address here.
Anomalous was produced by MIK in conjunction with Down the Hill studios and will be available from May 6, wherever you get your podcasts. You can get more from Em on her Instagram, where you'll find more information on her upcoming tour.
Find more from Stellar via Instagram @stellarmag or pick up a copy inside The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (VIC), The Sunday Mail (QLD) and Sunday Mail (SA) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Em Rusciano is ready to emerge after the “scorched earth” years

For 23 years, Kyle Sandilands and Jackie “O” Henderson have dominated radio airwaves in Sydney, and having appeared on various TV shows over the years, have become one of Australia’s most well-known double acts.
But despite their infamy, they very rarely do interviews together - and yet for today’s episode of Something To Talk About they agreed to sit down on the other side of the microphone to join host Sarrah Le Marquand for a no-holds-barred conversation that veers from the outrageous to the hilarious, and from the emotional to the unexpected. 
On the eve of their show’s much talked about and risky expansion into Melbourne, they open up about what makes their relationship tick - both on and off air, whether they have any regrets over the controversies they have weathered over the years, and how they feel about being in very different chapters of their lives, with Kyle settled down as a happily married father just as a Jackie is hitting her stride as one of the most sought after single women in the country. 
And, in one of the many surprising moments in the conversation, they both ponder an unlikely question: is Kyle Sandilands actually a feminist?
The Kyle & Jackie O Show airs from 6am weekdays on KIIS 1065 Sydney and KIIS 101.1 Melbourne. You can also listen via the iHeart app or wherever you get your podcasts.
Find more from Stellar via Instagram @stellarmag or pick up a copy inside The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (VIC), The Sunday Mail (QLD) and Sunday Mail (SA) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why Melissa Leong won't grieve the way you want her to

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