Poh Ling Yeow was brought to tears Wednesday night as she broke down about her late mother Christina on MasterChef Australia.
The celebrity cook, 50, broke down on the Channel 10 competition as she revealed the touching moment her mum first said she was proud of her.
Wiping away tears, the Malaysian-born presenter said her mother struggled to show affection with her daughter until Poh shot to fame on MasterChef in 2009.
The heartbreaking moment began when contestant Nat revealed her mum told her she was proud of her for the first time when she landed a spot on the show.
Nat, 28, who is of Thai descent, said her cultural heritage made it difficult for her family to be close with each other, but that MasterChef broke those barriers down.
As the Melbourne-born barista began to cry tears of joy over her newfound relationship with her mother, Poh too began to cry.
‘Nat, I just wanted to say something,’ Poh choked out.
‘After I was on MasterChef, it was one of the first times my mum had ever expressed that she was proud of me.’
Poh Ling Yeow, 50, (pictured) was brought to tears Wednesday night as she broke down about her late mother Christina on MasterChef Australia
Struggling not to break down further, she continued: ‘I think that’s why when I’m in this kitchen I am very emotional because it affected so much of my life outside of cooking.
‘Cooking became that thing that bonded us because we did have that very Asian thing of having trouble expressing our love.
‘So, it’s just so amazing how this kitchen connects us in so many different ways,’ she concluded.
Poh’s mother tragically passed away in November 2022.
‘After I was on MasterChef, it was one of the first times my mum had ever expressed that she was proud of me,’ said Poh. Pictured with mother Christina
The cookbook author revealed to Refinery 29 Australia last month that the grief of her mother’s death still hits her in the moment’s she least expects it.
‘I find that it visits at the most unexpected of times. I find that it’s when your mind is not active; like when you’re doing something quite mundane, like driving,’ she said.
‘It’s almost like when you’re busy and you’re doing things, it’s a way of keeping [grief] under wraps, but when you’re least unaware, it kind of pops out to say hi.’