After playing AFL for the St. Kilda Saints for 17 years, Nick Riewoldt knows a thing or two about success. Now a Fox Footy presenter, Riewoldt is about to take on a whole new challenge: the Celebrity MasterChef Australia kitchen.
Going up against the likes of fashion icon Collette Dinnigan, radio personality Chrissie Swan and Gordon Ramsey’s daughter, celeb-chef royalty Tilly Ramsay, Riewoldt is going to have his work cut out for him, but he’s up for the challenge.
Chatting to 10 in a Q&A, Riewoldt said that when it comes to the kitchen, his biggest strength will lie in creating seafood dishes, crediting his Tassie upbringing for the skill.
“I’ve grown up with it, had access to it,” he explained.
Having also grown up in a family with a passion for good food, Riewoldt said that his own “passion for cooking came from [his] parents and their parents”.
“So, just a family generational thing,” he explained. “All that great family time just revolved around food, basically.”
His love for family shines through on his social media, with many snaps of his wife, Catherine Heard, and their three sons, James, William and Edward “Teddy” Riewoldt.
He’s also passionate about fighting to find a cure for bone marrow failure, after losing his sister Maddie to the disease in 2015. Maddie lost her battle with Aplastic Anaemia at just 21, five years after being diagnosed.
On September 15, Riewoldt shared a sweet tribute to his late sister for her birthday, writing: “Up early so I can be the first. Just like you always were. HBD Mooch. Forever 26 💜Miss you lil’ Sis.”
In lighter news, Riewoldt will be facing more than one challenge in the MasterChef kitchen. Aside from the high-pressure cooking tests and demanding feats of culinary skill, Riewoldt is also holding back a secret.
“Something people might not know about me is that I was actually a massive Flying Doctors fan,” he revealed in his Q&A. “But don’t tell Rebecca Gibney, because I’m trying to play it really cool around her.”
Your secret’s safe with us, Nick!
Celebrity MasterChef Australia premieres at 7.30pm this Sunday, October 10th, on 10 and 10 Play on Demand.
