Monica Galetti has shared how she was "in tears" over her decision to take a step back from judging on BBC's MasterChef: The Professionals. The 46-year-old chef first announced she would be leaving the show in April this year - and after 14 years on the programme, it was an emotional decision.
She joined the BBC cooking show back in 2009 alongside Michel Roux Jr and Gregg Wallace and also appeared from 2014 with Marcus Wareing following Roux's departure. In a new interview with Good Housekeeping, Monica has opened up about her decision to leave, saying "something had to give".
“I was in tears over it because it’s been 14 years of my life. Something had to give, though," she told the magazine: “I freaked out at the thought of filming starting again because I didn’t have enough staff (at her restaurant Mere), I was already going three days a week without seeing my daughter and I had a very ill nephew.
“I felt like I needed to split into four people. I don’t have a poker face either, so you would have seen on screen how worried and distracted I was.”
Announcing the news to her 225k, Instagram followers in April, Monica explained how she was breaking the news with "a heavy heart" but that she had hopes "to be back soon". The caption read: "It is with a heavy heart that after 14yrs I've made this decision to step back from filming this year's series of MasterChef: The Professionals.
"My family need me, my restaurant needs me and trying to balance long filming days over the next three months with all my commitments meant that something had to give. So for the moment, my focus has to be 100% about my loved ones and rebuilding my kitchen team who have had a battering over the last few months especially.
"To my MasterChef family, crew and friends, I'm so sorry I won't be with you this year but I hope to be back soon".
The BBC announced a short while later that chef patron of Myrtle Restaurant in Chelsea, Anna Haugh, would be joining Marcus Wareing and Gregg Wallace for the 15th series when it airs on BBC One later in the year. At the time, Anna said it was "a privilege" to be keeping Monica's seat warm.
Earlier this year, Samoan-born chef Monica joined Dame Mary Berry on the panel to decide the winner of the Platinum Pudding competition in honour of the Queen’s Jubilee. You can read the full interview in the September 2022 issue of Good Housekeeping, on sale from July 27.
