From designing bridal, ready to wear and lingerie lines to writing a children’s book, fashion designer Collette Dinnigan has pretty much done it all.
What remains to be seen, however, is whether her immense creativity will translate into the Celebrity MasterChef Australia kitchen.
In a new Instagram Q&A, the fashion icon revealed that she got her passion for cooking from her mum.
“My mother was a very good cook but she was like me, we didn’t read recipes,” she shared, which is maybe a hint at what’s to come this season!
“I was brought up in a lot of different international flavours, and I guess just living between France and Australia and now spending a lot of time in Italy, it’s something that I’ve been passionate about,” Dinnigan continued, adding: “most of my friends are passionate too about cooking, I think it’s something that kind of goes hand-in-hand with an artist.”
When asked what dish she would be, Dinnigan gushed that she’d “be spaghetti vongole, the sweet taste of the Mediterranean and a touch of chilli, salty and long strips of spaghetti”.
Dinnigan shared that her biggest strength in the kitchen is “home-cooked foods”, with “lots of stocks and salty, definitely, and oils, very much Mediterranean Italian”. We’re picking up a vibe here, and we like it!
When it comes to the biggest misconception about her, though, Dinnigan said that it’s her ability to be “calm and very methodical” when under “extreme pressure”, like presenting runway shows in Paris, for example!
“I think that’s been to my advantage in my business, however, most people I think [presume] I’m quite tough and strong… but that’s not the case at all,” she shared.
Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald about why she decided to join the cooking show, Dinnigan revealed that she actually turned Celebrity MasterChef down before signing on.
“I actually said no a few times before I said yes,” she said. “I have been told I am a good cook and I love cooking for friends and family.”
After thinking about it some more, Dinnigan reconsidered.
“I figured I had nothing to lose,” she said. “So I decided to put myself out of my comfort zone and go for it.
“As you get older, you don’t put yourself out there, you become more discreet about decisions and don’t take as many risks. I decided to change it up.”
Celebrity MasterChef Australia premieres on Sunday, October 10, on 10 and 10 Play on Demand.
