Former MasterChef Australia host Melissa Leong has bravely opened up about experiencing sexual abuse while working in the hospitality industry, and she’s told Chattr why she decided to share her story now.
Melissa, who also competed on The Amazing Race Australia, reflects on her experience in her new memoir Guts: A Memoir of Food, Failure and Taking Impossible Chances. In a post-elimination interview, she spoke about the importance of having these tough conversations and noted the growing awareness of sexual harassment in hospitality in recent years.
“I think that it’s very dangerous to generalise about matters such as sexual abuse. I think that no industry or community is exempt from these things happening,” she said.
“I think the difference is right now, in hospitality, there is a groundswell of very brave people— I’m not speaking of myself, I’m speaking about some of the other articles and people that have spoken up prior to [my book].
“They’re so brave in coming forward and speaking up about things that we know have been going on in the industry for a very long time. So the difference is that there is a greater willingness to speak up now more than ever. And I hope that that happens for all industries and all communities.”
Why Melissa Leong decided to speak up about her own experience
Melissa admitted that, as a private person, opening up about such a difficult experience wasn’t easy, but she felt it was important to break her silence and help others who may have gone through similar situations.
“I always said that I will use whatever platform I have for as long as I have it, in order to hopefully contribute something constructive to conversations, especially difficult conversations, and when this happened to me — when the rape happened to me — I was not schooled on matters of consent the way that maybe we know to talk about consent now,” she said.
“I know that we joke, you know, there are jokes on the internet about consent and all the rest of it, but the truth is, it matters. It matters. It is a line in the sand that must be drawn, and when it is crossed. That’s not right.
“And so as much as I am a private person, I think that it is important to share information that will help other people, that will maybe embolden people to be more in command of their boundaries and their knowledge of what is right and wrong, and that it is okay to speak up, and that the shame that has been heaped on you is not yours to hold, it’s for the perpetrator.”
Help is available: 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) / National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028.
Melissa Leong’s memoir Guts: A Memoir of Food, Failure and Taking Impossible Chances is on sale now.
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