‘It was a special moment’: MasterChef fan favourite Brendan Pang reveals the secret he told co-star Reece Hignell
MasterChef star Brendan Pang publicly came out as gay in June 2019, around the same time he debuted his relationship with Nick Fimognari.
And speaking to News.com.au on Friday, the fan favourite revealed co-star Reece Hignell to be one of the first people he came out to.
The 27-year-old explained how he turned to Reece, 28, for advice, when they both starred in season 10 of the franchise back in 2018.
‘It was a special moment’: MasterChef fan favourite Brendan Pang (right), 26, told News.com.au on Friday the secret he told co-star Reece Hignell (left), 28
‘I’d always kind of looked up to Reece as a role model. When I was eliminated we spent a bit of time together before I left to come home, and I just opened up to him,’ Brendan told the publication.
‘He was surprised but he was happy. It was a really special moment and he’s like a brother to me now,’ the Perth-based contestant added.
Brendan came out as gay in an emotional Facebook post last year.
‘He’s like a brother to me now’: Brendan explained how Reece was one of the first people he came out to, during filming of season 10 of the franchise back in 2018
‘My name is Brendan Pang and I’m 26 years old… but, for as long as I can remember and up until the age of 24 I struggled with my sense of identity,’ he wrote.
‘As a gay male, I had feelings of being “different” very early on, and as I navigated the bumpy road into adulthood, I went through some pretty dark times from feeling pressured to change who I was, to experiencing high levels of social anxiety.
‘Thankfully, with the help of a strong and supportive network (my family and friends), I was able to not only survive the complexity of mental health, but thrive and become a stronger, happier, comfortable and proud ME.’
Couple: Brendan came out as gay in a Facebook post last year, around the same time he debuted his relationship with Nick Fimognari (left)
Brendan shared his story to inspire others struggling with their own identity.
He was also raising awareness of the Telethon Kids Institute’s Embrace program, Western Australia’s first research centre devoted to the mental health of children and young people.
‘We are still losing too many young people to suicide. One in five teens say they have high levels of distress. One in 12 Australian young people aged 12-17 have self-harmed,’ he added.
To inspire others: Brendan shared his story to inspire others struggling with their own identity
While he did not take out the 2018 series of MasterChef, Brendan certainly made his presence felt.
The cookbook author suffered a deep gash to his right hand during filming, when he tripped up a flight of stairs with a smashed olive oil bottle in his hand.
Brendan told Who magazine at the time: ‘I ran back down in shock and screamed for help.’
He received 13 stitches and was back in the kitchen later that day.
MasterChef: Back To Win continues Sunday at 7.30pm on Channel Ten.
‘We are still losing too many young people to suicide’: Brendan was also raising awareness of the Telethon Kids Institute’s Embrace program, Western Australia’s first research centre devoted to the mental health of children and young people