Melissa Leong has sparked concern among fans after she shared a teary-eyed image of herself crying in her car to social media.
The former MasterChef Australia judge, 43, posted the concerning photo on social media on Thursday, which captured her looking downbeat as she rested in her vehicle.
She told fans she was feeling a bit downcast after taking on the mentally challenging task of narrating the audio version of her upcoming memoir, called Guts.
‘Today was a hard day. I started recording the audio version of my memoir, and I knew sharing some of what I wrote might be the most difficult thing I have ever had to say out loud to strangers,’ Melissa began.
‘I know it’s not yet time to talk about it, but I really need to send love to anyone out there who has been forced through the dark moments. You are not alone, and I need to know I am not, either.’
She ended on a more hopeful note and revealed she was excited to be telling her story.
Melissa Leong (pictured) has sparked concern among fans after she shared a teary-eyed image of her crying in her car to social media. The former MasterChef Australia judge posted the concerning image to social media on Thursday, which captured her looking downbeat
‘I am not one for posting these kinds of raw moments, but I want to mark today as one where I reclaimed myself and my story once and for all,’ she added.
Many of Melissa’s celebrity friends took to the comments section to offer words of support.
‘Sharing something like this is never easy, and it matters that you did. Sending lots of love,’ wrote publicist Adriana Glass.
‘Deep breath… and say it proudly,’ added makeup artist Shella Martin.
Melissa’s upcoming memoir is currently available for pre-orders and promises readers ‘previously unshared tea’ about her life.
In January, Melissa teased that she would be lifting the lid on her time on MasterChef Australia in an upcoming book release.
The food critic famously served as a judge on the Channel Ten cooking competition for three years but left last year amid a huge hosting shake-up.
She has since joined spin-off show Dessert Masters as a judge – but has been repeatedly hit by rumours that she could be lining up a return to MasterChef.
She told fans she was feeling a bit downcast after taking on the mentally challenging task of narrating the audio version of her upcoming memoir, called Guts
Melissa’s upcoming memoir is currently available for pre-orders and promises readers ‘previously unshared tea’ about her life
Taking to her Instagram, Melissa asked fans what they would like to read about in the book, prompting a whole range of responses.
One eager fan asked her if she would be including any ‘behind the scenes MasterChef stories’, to which Melissa replied she would be.
‘Oh there are a bunch, don’t you worry,’ she teased in a cryptic reply.
She also revealed she would be discussing other aspects of her career including her little-known passion for UFC while every chapter will also include a recipe.
However, Melissa urged fans to stop asking her about aspects of her life she has ‘publicly drawn a line’ under as she hinted some things would be off limits in the book.
Her exciting new project comes after Melissa was hit by rumours she could be lining up a return to MasterChef Australia.
Melissa left the program last year under a cloud of suspicion about an alleged feud with her former co-host Andy Allen, who still serves as a judge.
Andy returned to the show this year alongside three new judges – media darling Poh Ling Yeow, Michelin-star chef Jean-Christophe Novelli and Melbourne food critic Sofia Levin.
Melissa has since gone on to take on a new role on MasterChef’s spin-off show Dessert Masters, co-judging alongside French-Swiss pastry chef Amaury Guichon.
