Laura Sharrad was crowned the winner of MasterChef: Back To Win 2025 last night, edging out runner-up Callum Hann in a tense finale.
It was a long-awaited victory for the talented chef and young mum, who first competed in 2014 and returned for the 2020 Back To Win season — finishing runner-up on both occasions.
Since her 2020 comeback, however, Laura has faced persistent online trolling. Some viewers accused her of receiving favouritism or relying too heavily on pasta and Italian dishes. Her close friendship and professional ties with the late Jock Zonfrillo—who mentored her after her 2014 season—have also drawn public scrutiny.
Fellow MasterChef 2025 contestant Jamie Fleming recently defended Laura in an interview with Chattr, calling her a “powerhouse”. “Laura can sometimes appear like she’s coasting because she’s just at a high level. She understands the competition. She’s a fantastic cook. She understands flavour, and probably doesn’t get the amount of props that she may deserve for some of the strategies that she implements,” Jamie said.
MasterChef Australia fans defend Laura after finale win: ‘The comments are heartbreaking’
Now MasterChef fans have also taken to a Reddit thread to defend Laura’s win, saying they feel bad for her after she’s copped so much unnecessary backlash.
“There is a need to stop hating on Laura. It’s not nice. We’ve become a bunch of armchair critiques who watch from our homes and shed out commentary so vindictive that can ruin someone’s life. I was also part of this band and I feel pathetic about it,” one person said. “Just saw Instagram and the comments are heartbreaking on the winner reveal post. You don’t do that to anyone, this shit can break people for good. On a night when she’s won, imagine having to sit through the hate of the Internet and justifying that she deserved the win? It’s sad.”
Someone else agreed, saying they felt for Laura having to deal with the backlash after the high of winning the competition.
“The winner is no surprise to us all, but I am actually wondering, is the hate towards Laura too much? What has she done that all of us hate in majority? Poor girl has even put up a story on Instagram of Jamie supporting her. Imagine winning the trophy and reading all this, I do feel for her.”
Callum fans stick up for Laura after MasterChef win: ‘Still had a smile’
“I was rooting for Callum and was super sad for him, but I still had a smile when Laura picked up the trophy. It’s been a lifelong pursuit for her, just as much as it has been for Callum,” someone else said.
Another fan called the online trolling “unjustified”.
“The level of hate is completely unjustified. Her cooking style is very different from Callum’s, and she’s openly said she doesn’t deviate much from traditional flavours. Maybe you really need to taste her food to truly appreciate it,” they said, with another saying, “The hate towards Laura is uncalled for and just because of the edit she got. For people to be sitting at home and hating on her and her food every episode is insane like you haven’t even tasted it?? This makes me even more glad that she’s won!”
“Laura also constantly praised her competitors’ talent and constantly spoke of how hard she would have to strive to beat them. She’s humble and hardworking, just like Callum. Laura has dealt with the death of Jock, her beloved grandfather, and birthing her first kid in the last two years, and now she’s won. Good on her,” someone else applauded her.
And perhaps, most simply, one fan said: “Thrilled for Laura. Hope all the haters take a deep look inside themselves and get over it.”
Congrats to Laura on her win!
Stream the MasterChef Australia grand finale on 10Play.
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