TV

Brent Draper Has Revealed Exactly Why He Left ‘MasterChef’ To Put His Mental Health First

"I'm not ashamed to talk about it - I feel stronger. I feel proud that I put my hand up, I needed help and I asked for it. I'm not invincible."

by Michelle Rennex  15 June 2021
brent masterchef mental health

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On Sunday night, tears were flowing across the nation when boilermaker Brent Draper decided to quit MasterChef due to concerns over his mental health.

As Brent entered the second round of Sunday’s elimination episode, the beloved boilermaker put his hand up and announced that he couldn’t go on as he had “nothing left”.

“I can’t cook,” Brent told the group before judge Jock Zonfrillo pulled him aside. “Just mentally, I’m not there.”

“I just need to go home, sort my mental health out,” Brent explained to Jock. “I just can’t get out of my head. It’s just affecting my cook, my sleep. Everything. I don’t want to, but I think it’s the only thing.”

“I think I’ve come to the point where that’s all that’s going to help me. Getting home, sorting myself out.”

After a tear-filled emotional goodbye with the judges and his fellow contestants, Brent shared that he was proud of what he had achieved and how far he made it as “a tradie that just had a crack”.

“I’m 100 percent leaving with my head held high,” Brent said as he left the competition. “I’m so proud of what I’ve done here. Like, I’m just a tradie that just had a crack.”

“I’ve made it so far so I’m proud of what I’ve done in this competition. But my time is now,” he continued. “By doing this I hope I show others just to keep checking on people. You know, you just never know who’s having a bit of a tough one.”

Instantly, MasterChef fans rallied behind Brent and praised how inspiring it was to see a “blokey bloke” put his mental health first on primetime TV.

People noted how powerful it was to see a man normalising asking for help when it’s needed and not being afraid to show emotion, especially when it comes to a topic like mental health which is something often brushed aside by men.

After the episode aired, Brent took to Instagram to shed light on his mental health and to map out exactly what led to his decision to leave the show.

“Basically, it all sort of started [when] my mum got really sick before the filming of MasterChef,” Brent started. “I just brushed it off. Wiped the knees. Moved on, like us males tend to do too quickly. Didn’t really think about it and talk about. I just sort of moved on.”

“Then straight into quarantining. Quarantining, it’s not fun at all I can tell you. I did it twice. There’s no human interaction, which you miss really quickly and don’t know you do until you’re in quarantine.”

Brent went on to explain that not only was he “homesick to the max” during the filming of MasterChef, but that his grandmother passed away and he developed anxiety that he was “not dealing with correctly” which led to broken sleep and severe panic attacks.

“A lack of routine — things that pump you up like surfing, family, friends, home life — I just didn’t ground myself. And it built on and started to snowball and I started to really get that anxiety and stress build-up, and I wasn’t dealing with it correctly. I just didn’t know about it, I didn’t know what it was,” Brent explained.

“My mind just disconnected. I was thinking the worst of the worst,” he continued. “I tried so hard to mask it every single day with a smile, but it just began to take its toll on me. The balloon nearly popped.”

 

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A post shared by Brent Draper (@brentdraper_)

Thankfully, Brent Draper did note that he had been recovering with a doctor, psychologist and his family since leaving the show, which was filmed a few months ago.

“It’s been a couple of months since that episode… and I’m feeling better. The train’s back on its tracks,” Brent added. “Some days I still have this anxiety come over me but now at least I know what it is. I have a toolbox ready to go to deal with it. It’s just so good to understand what it is now.”

“I’m not ashamed to talk about it… I think we need to stop with this stigma about us men talking [about mental health]. I’ve come through the thick of it and I’m not weak. I feel stronger, I can actually talk to people now,” he concluded.

“I feel proud that I put my hand up. I needed help and I asked for it. I’m not invincible. People are out there willing and ready to help and you just need to put your hand up and ask for the help.”

Continuing his journey to destigmatise male mental health, Brent Draper also went on The Project last night to reiterate the importance of men understanding mental health and knowing that asking for help does not make you weak.

“I’m that fella that’s always laughing and I didn’t really know about mental health. And I didn’t think I ever had anything like anxiety. I didn’t know how to deal with it, no one told me when I was growing up,” Brent said. “I just hope I’ve inspired a few fellas [to know] that it’s ok to ask for help. Nothing comes out of it negative.”

“I’ve only gotten stronger, I haven’t gotten weaker. I’ve been able to talk more with my mates, open up a lot more, which just makes me so much stronger as a person.”

You can watch MasterChef Australia from Sunday to Thursday at 7.30pm on Channel 10.